The Sacrifice
by Noodles-22
Summary: Ranma is introduced to the Tendos after a 15 year training trip. the plan was for Ranma and Akane to marry and join the houses together. but Genma's plan went too far: Ranma showed up as a nervous wreck.
1. Prologue

The sacrifice  
  
Prologue  
  
____________________________________________________________________   
  
"To victory!" the two men chorused, brandishing their glasses of sake in the air.  
  
"The master has been defeated!"  
  
"No longer can he haunt us, ridicule us, or use us as his scapegoats for his perverted ways".  
  
"Our school shall no longer bear the reputation of dishonourable scoundrels. We shall rise above all others, and become the superior of all martial artists." They downed their drinks, and refilled their cups.  
  
"But where to go from here?"  
  
"Our children."  
  
"That's right."  
  
"But they have to be taught the ways of a true martial artist. To be willing to sacrifice all for the arts. It must be drilled into them from the start that nothing in life is more important than the arts. All else is a source of weakness."  
  
"Oh I wouldn't go that far Saotome."  
  
"But it's true. Look at your girls."  
  
"And just what is wrong with my family!?" the man growled.  
  
"They haven't been raised as true warriors. They are being nurtured with the womanly ways of your wife. It will rub off on them and they will be unable to cope with the harshness of the world out there. They will not be able to overcome all obstacles the world throws at them. In order to survive they must be able to take the good, the bad and the worst in life to strive and stay out on top."  
  
"I see what you're getting at."  
  
"From day one they must learn to cope without the need of support from others."  
  
"Now that is a bit far. Everybody needs someone to care for them at some stage."  
  
"Yes but not to rely on it. Not so it destines them to be waiting for someone to pull them out of tough situations. A true warrior should be able to work their way out of any situation by themselves Tendo, as we had to on many occasions"  
  
"That is true, we did have trouble dealing with the horrors Master left us with."  
  
"That settles it. My son, and your youngest daughter. I'll raise my son with the harsh ways of the world and train him in the Arts, you can do the same with your child. This training needs to be started as early as possible so they don't get used to having others take care of their needs. Although Ranma is nearly one year old, I'm sure I can get him to start learning how to fend for himself. When they are sixteen they can be wed, then they will inherit the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts and continue the line of work with their children."   
  
"That's a good idea."  
  
"We'll raise them to be masters in the arts, to be unstoppable, and to dedicate their lives to the future of our ways."  
  
"The future of our school of Anything Goes Martial Arts is secure,"   
  
they shouted raising their cups again and downing the contents.  
  
_____________________________________________________________________  
  
Later that evening Genma Saotome was explaining the plan to his wife Nodoka.  
  
"WHAT!!! I WILL NEVER ALLOW YOU TO TAKE MY SON AWAY AND LET YOU TREAT HIM LIKE NOTHING!"  
  
"But Dear, it's for his own good. In order for him to become the greatest martial artist ...."  
  
"IF I EVER CATCH YOU MISTREATING RANMA IN ANY WAY" Nodoka shouted, unsheathing her katana, "YOU WILL BE ANSWERING TO THIS! YOU ARE NOT TAKING HIM ANYWHERE" she continued, fire blazing in her eyes.  
  
Cowering under her furious gaze, Genma retreated, "Yes Dear."  
  
Thinking Genma agreed too easily Nodoka picked Ranma up from his cot and walked out of the room.  
  
_____________________________________________________________________  
  
A similar conversation was going on at the Tendo Dojo.  
  
"Soun, I am surprised of you. How could you allow that man to estrange his own son from a loving family like that?"  
  
"I didn't agree with his methods, but he does have a point. If we are to continue the School of Anything Goes we will need heirs who are of martial art material. I believe if we could start encouraging our children to fend for themselves..."  
  
"But..."  
  
"We will still help them when they need it Kimiko, but just cut down on how much we shield them from the world, they will toughen up and become stronger for it."  
  
"I guess you are right. Just keep an eye on Ranma. I know Genma means well but he gets carried away sometimes."  
  
"Yes. That poor boy will need a lot of luck to survive what his father has in store for him. I'll tell Genma to keep in touch with us and keep us updated on the boy's progress."  
  
_____________________________________________________________________  
  
The next day  
  
Riiiiinnng..... Riiiiinnng  
  
Nodoka stirred in her bed.  
  
Riiiiinnng..... Riiiiinnng  
  
Reaching over to the bedside table for the phone, "Hello."  
  
"Hi Nodoka, it's Soun."  
  
"Oh. Good Morning"  
  
"Yeah. I am bit concerned about Ranma's well being."  
  
"What's wrong?" Nodoka sat up quickly.  
  
"Well, we both know what Genma is like, and how he is going on about how a true martial artist should sacrifice everything for the sake of the arts."  
  
"Yeah I know that old fool."  
  
"Well I wanted to make sure Genma doesn't do anything stupid to Ranma on the training trip"  
  
"He's not going on any training trip. I forbade Genma last night from doing anything of such as his stupid training ideas to our boy."  
  
"That's good then. Just keep an eye on him. I was going to get him to keep me updated on Ranma's training whilst he was away so I could ensure the boy was okay."  
  
"Thankyou. I'll just try and find him so you can tell him yourself." Nodoka got up and looked around the house for Genma. When she walked into the living room she noticed a note on the table.  
  
I'm sorry that you don't agree, but I took Ranma to prepare him for life as a martial artist. It may seem that my method is a bit harsh, but it is for the best. It will prove to be the only way for Ranma to reach his full potential.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed and fell to her knees.  
  
Soun heard the yell over the phone. "Nodoka! Nodoka!" Soun heard no reply. Hanging up the phone he turned to his wife. "Something's wrong. We must go over there."  
  
_____________________________________________________________________  
  
At the Saotome residence  
  
Kimiko handed Nodoka a cup of tea.  
  
"How could anyone take a child who can't even walk properly yet, into the wild in order to teach them how to look after themselves?" Nodoka sobbed.  
  
"Don't worry Nodoka. I'm sure Ranma will grow up to be a strong lad. If he is anything like his father he will survive out there," Soun said. In undertones "Only if Genma gradually introduces Ranma to self preservation. I hope he doesn't do anything stupid."  
  
Kimiko overhearing Soun's last words flinched.   
  
Reaching for her katana, Nodoka cried "If I ever see that lout again, he will suffer. I promised him that he'll have to answer to this if he took Ranma away. If Ranma is hurt I swear that Genma will be begging me for death." Nodoka broke down weeping.  
  
"Now, now. We'll hear from them soon enough. Come Nodoka, you can stay with us for a while."  
  
Nodoka just nods.  
  
_____________________________________________________________________ 


	2. Training

The Sacrifice  
  
Chapter one - Training  
  
___________________________________________________________  
  
It was a clear and sunny day in Nerima. A gentle wind blew through the branches of the trees. The wind chimes sounded, the splash of water came from the koi pond, and the battle call came from within the dojo.  
  
"HAAAA YAAAA!"  
  
The girl, clad in a white gi, swung her arm down forcefully, and shattered a stack of concrete bricks. Wiping her brow she exclaimed "Whew! That felt pretty good."  
  
The tranquil of the day was interrupted by a strangled shout from within the house. "AT LAST! AT LAST! THE DAY HAS COME!"  
  
The shout came from a happily weeping man who was jumping up and down, named Soun Tendo. He had black, shoulder length hair, a small pencil moustache, and was wearing a brown gi.  
  
His three girls approached to see what the matter was.  
  
The oldest girl who had long brown hair, tied with a bow at the end asked "What is it Father?"  
  
"HE'S FINALLY COMING HERE!" the man shouted while dancing around the table.  
  
"Who is?" asked the second girl, after descending the stairs.  
  
"RANMA!" he cheered. He saw his youngest daughter enter from the dojo, and leapt up to embrace her.  
  
CLUNK!  
  
"Ranma!?" inquired the youngest girl, she eyed her father after she embedded his head in the floor. She was not keen on the affection her father showed her.  
  
"YES. THEY'VE SENT ANOTHER CARD SAYING THEY'VE FINISHED THEIR TRAINING TRIP AND ARE NOW ON THEIR WAY HOME!" cried the man, his voice was muffled.  
  
"YESSS!" exclaimed the youngest girl, snatching the post card from her father as she ran up to her room.  
  
"Oh my!" the oldest daughter sighed as the white blur rushed past her. "Akane sure seemed pleased," as a distant door slammed.  
  
"Of course she did Kasumi! She has _only_ been waiting and training her whole life for this," the girl smirked as she started back up the stairs. Calling over her shoulder she added "When are they supposed to be here anyway?"  
  
"Probably by the end of the month. They were having problems finding transport back from China." The man grunted, pulling himself back to his feet. "At least we have the time to prepare some space for them so they feel welcome after their long journey."  
  
"Nabiki, you can start by removing your surveillance equipment from the spare room. And while you're at it, get rid of the hidden cameras in the toilet and changing rooms!" Kasumi raised her voice at the retreating girl. "It has become very annoying when I go to the market and find boys staring at me after viewing those toilet-cam posters," she added with a frown.  
  
____________________________________________________________________  
  
Akane yanked the drawer out from the shelf, and propped herself down on her bed to read the latest card.  
  
Greetings Tendo  
  
We just finished at the cursed springs training ground of Jusenkyo. Learned enough before the boy destroyed the place (I Swear, that boy ceases to amaze me with his power and skill in the martial arts). Some places are just not designed for the higher martial artists that we are.   
  
We should be arriving on one of the cargo ships in a few weeks. We would have swum back, but the boy has developed some weird reaction to water, and if he gets wet he becomes an unstoppable fighter who won't rest until he beats the living crap out of me.  
  
Saotome  
  
Akane smiled. Soon her fiancé shall be here. Although they had never met, after reading all of the cards she had received, Akane felt that Ranma was the only person in the world who she could relate to. Both she and Ranma were skilled martial artists, both had lonely childhoods, and now she and Ranma will meet and carry on with the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts with the Tendo dojo.  
  
This was probably one of the two things in her life which made her happy. Her father didn't pay her much attention, except for when he taught her the school's martial arts, (which was the only other thing). From an early age, her sisters seemed indifferent to her, but she didn't care. The arts were what life was all about. This was constantly drilled into her up until the age of six when her mother died.   
  
After that, her father started to warm up to her. With a huge speech full of tears and blubbering, her father went on about how a true martial artist should not have to rely on anyone but themselves, but begging the girls to forgive him for pushing them away from each other. Well Kasumi fell for it quickly, after all pop did say that he only started treating them like that before Akane turned one. At that stage Kasumi was three, she had three years of loving tender care from their mother to fall back on. Nabiki, who had at least one year of it, tended to cheer up a bit, but still had the 'Ice Queen' reputation. Both sisters didn't care much for the Arts anyway.  
  
Akane, having nothing to fall back on, still felt distant from the others. At school she had no one, although she got plenty of attention. Every morning all the boys tried to defeat her for the chance to date. It was a good place to try out her new attacks. She liked to fight, and since she didn't want anything to do with them this suited her just fine.  
  
  
  
She was coming onto a new chapter in her life. Some things are going to change, (hopefully for the best). Some things would be new to her, while some things would stay the same. But over all, Akane was hoping that some excitement would come out of it.  
  
She put the latest card in the drawer with the rest, smiled, and put the draw back into its place.  
  
_________________________________________________________________  
  
As time slows down when you are waiting for something, every day seemed to get longer as if the Earth was coming to a standstill. At the same time, things started to liven up at the Tendo's. Akane had some weight lifting sessions while removing all the junk from the spare room. Nabiki became nervous since the unknown was coming to town so she couldn't adjust the odds on her gambling pool with as much certainty of profit as she was accustomed to. Kasumi spent more time in the kitchen, trying out new recipes with a carefree expression.   
  
Soun was experiencing emotions wide between joy and horror. All the joy of having his best friend coming back from a 15 year training trip, with his son to wed Akane to join the two families together. The unease of Saotome's opinion of him for forsaking the plan of keeping his children at arms distance since his wife died. And the further worry of Nodoka finally being able to catch up with her good-for-nothing husband, in order to re-introduce him with her katana.   
  
Over the years he had helped Nodoka try to find Genma Saotome whenever she visited, with the place of origin of each of the post cards they had received. After which she would grab hold of her katana, and rush off to the airport to catch the next flight to China. Every time this happened, she returned a month or so later after scrounging the area for the slightest hint of her husband's presence. But he was just too good at making getaways since the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts specialised in that area.  
  
'Come to think of it, it's about time for Nodoka to visit' Soun thought.  
  
"Oh this should be good" said Nabiki, who had similar thoughts as her father. She was secretly setting up more hidden surveillance cameras about the house with multiple angles so her reality TV show would be ready to make a great come-back, the dollar signs flashing in her eyes.  
  
________________________________________________________________  
  
Finally the day came which destined the world of change to the district of Nerima.   
  
The signal was given by the strangest sight. A panda was running for its life, it had a few missing patches of fur, a few gashes across its midsection, and two black eyes.  
  
What made the situation weirder was that at its heels was a short red-headed girl, running on all fours, snarling and attempting to bite the panda's legs off. Obviously being the source of fear and damage to the panda, the onlookers were intrigued by this new girl.  
  
Even more to the surprise of the Tendos, the panda was chased into their backyard and was severely beaten to unconsciousness.  
  
Upon ensuring the panda was out cold, the girl turned on all four heels, and casually walked into the house, curled up on the couch and started purring.  
  
The Tendos all stood there dumbstruck for a while. When Kasumi's mind cleared, she rushed to the kitchen to make some tea for everyone (except the panda). Handing her sisters and her father their cups, she had to force feed them a bit of tea for them to stir from their stupor.  
  
When Kasumi turned to hand a cup of tea to the girl, the other Tendos followed to get a better look at their new visitor. Upon seeing how dishevelled and dirty the girl was Kasumi dropped the tea cup in shock, and gasped "Oh My. That poor gir..." The tea cup's fall broke off Kasumi's words. The cup was hanging over the girl at the time, and when the contents spilled over the visitor, something beyond their wildest dreams happened. The girl began to grow taller, her shoulders broadened, her red hair became black, and all traces of femininity disappeared. She was now a boy.  
  
The boy looked around in confusion. 'How did I get here? Who are these people?'  
  
Seeing the look of abject terror on their faces he spoke. "Umm... H-H-Hi" he stuttered.  
  
________________________________________  
  
"Who the hell are you?" Nabiki questioned in a conquering tone.  
  
"Oh, I'm Ra..." He looked over to where the panda was stirring outside. "Just hang on a second."   
  
He ran outside and cuffed the panda over the head. "Why d-did you have to do that f-for?!" the boy shouted at the quivering beast. "You made a g-great first impression of us to everyone who l-lives here!" he continued, kicking the beaten lump in the gut with enough force for it to clear a few metres from the ground. The panda landed with a groan and fell unconscious once more.  
  
Returning to the people who lived in the house he apologized. "Sssssorry 'bout that. Ma pop somettttimes really pppisses me off with his st-st-stupidity."  
  
The tenants of the house looked at him with in shock.  
  
"Urrr yeah-h-h. I'm Ranma S-S-Saotome," offering his hand. "And we're l-l-lookin' for the T-T-Ten-n-ndo Dojo."   
  
They all perked up at this information. Soun started blubbering again, Kasumi looked worried about how she had accidentally hurt the girl (now boy) by scalding with hot tea. Nabiki thought of the situation being a gold mine. She could make a lot of money out of this.  
  
Akane _was_ excited. This was the weirdest thing she had ever seen, it involved beating things up with the arts, and it somehow came with her betrothed.  
  
Dying, trying to not lunge forward to grab Ranma and swing him in circles with glee, Akane said with an unsteady voice "I'm Akane Tendo. Welcome to our dojo," gesturing behind her. Unable to hold it any more, "What's with the panda?"   
  
"Oh" grabbing the undrunk tea from Soun and upending the steaming hot liquid on the panda, adding insults and another injury to the pathetic creature. "He's m-m-my pop." As the steam disappeared the lump had shrank and turned into an even worse looking sight of an ugly, bald, overweight man, who sported the same injuries as the panda had.  
  
"Oh," stammered Soun. "Come inside why don't you." Blinked twice, and then worried about his fallen friend. "What about Genma, is he okay?"  
  
"You can l-l-leave him thhhere to rot and d-d-die for all I care. Well..." he paused. "Maybe not. H-h-he won't be a-as fun to kick around thhhen."  
  
"He'll be fine." waved Akane. This will be really good. Not only is Ranma a great martial artist, but he really enjoys the arts too! "Could I kick him around a bit later? It looked like fun."  
  
"S-s-sure. Anytime." Ranma was unsure about the girl. She seemed too eager to talk to him, but trying not to be rude to her, he walked along side Akane into the house.  
  
________________________________________________________________  
  
Later that evening...  
  
Around the table they sat while Kasumi served them dinner. Genma was chained up outside in the Koi pond, eating the bamboo which Ranma had given him, while Ranma indulged on the fantastic food at the dinning table. Akane watched in awe as Ranma inhaled plate after plate of food, she had never seen anyone move so fast.   
  
Kasumi sighed in content. Finally, someone who appreciates her cooking enough to eat all that she made, (usually the leftovers go down the side fence into the neighbour's flower beds). Soun was reminiscing about the old days and the insanity that followed him and Genma around after each of his hair brained ideas. This had got to be the results of one of Genma's worst ideas up to date, while Nabiki was savouring the possibilities of making a lot of money out of the latest circumstances.  
  
When no one attempted to say anything, Akane spoke. "Um, Ranma. Could you tell us about your training trip?"  
  
He jumped. He was not used to anyone speak to him so casually. But what she was asking of him was to relive the horrors he endured from the hands of his father. He hesitated.  
  
"Uh, I sssupose so"  
  
________________________________________________________________  
  
For a few hours Ranma told his life story. The postcards Akane kept up in her room was like a severely summarised story; with all the horrors that Genma put Ranma through, and the side effects of all the training removed, then put into note form. Akane realised that what she had already known from the letters was only a small grey scale of the colourful life Ranma had lived.   
  
Ranma was reluctant at first to divulge of the Neko-ken training technique. Genma had collected heaps of household cats and threw them into a dark pit. Days later he came back with Ranma who was only eight years old at the time, wrapped him in fish sausages (the smell was horrible as the supply of fresh fish was not readily available), and tossed Ranma into the pit.   
  
He paused for a while. He had never wanted to have to recall that incident.   
  
Shaking, he then continued on explaining the side effects of the training...  
  
"I w-w-wake up often from nnnightmares about being b-b-back in that pittt. When I'mmm aw-w-wake I c-c-can still see those c-c-cats in my peripheral vision. When I can c-c-concentrate on other t-t-tasks I can mmmanage to mmmmaint-t-tain control llllike I have nnnow. Mmmore c-c-cats cloud my vvvision when I stttart to be overc-c-ome with fear or I have real c-c-cats in front of me, my control fffades and I slippp into the Neko-K-k-ken. When I'm in thhhhat state I am withd-d-drawn, and the cats that hhhaunt me tttake ovvver."   
  
He sat silent for a while shaking. Akane reached over and held him in a warm embrace. When his shaking subsided he continued. "When the sssource of fear is g-g-gone I am ab-b-ble to take control ag-g-gain.  
  
"I survvvived like thattt for the past eight y-y-years. I had managed to stop the cats taking me over as often, but then we went to J-J-Jusenkyo.   
  
"I was sick of pops id-deas, as they usually go wrong, So I gave c-c-control over to my c-c-cat spectres. I tthhhought they would fffinish pop off quickllly and leave, but p-p-pop and our guide witn-nessed me destroying all the structttures in sssight. It seemed that my cc-cat spectres didn't lllike that place annnnymore than I d-d-did. As the spectres brought mayhhhem to the grounds, pop fell offfff his p-pole and into a spring. As he fffell his bulk weighttt pushed annnnother pole ovver, catching my hosts off g-g-guard and knocked my body into the pool of d-d-drowned g-girl." He silently wept for a minute, and then continued.  
  
"This new c-curse caused mmmore trrrouble for me. First of all I bbbecome a gg-girl. If that wasssn'tt nnnightmare mattterial I dddon't kn-n-now what is. Sssecondly I have lost the control of the Neko-ken I had developed, and in the girl form I have absolutely no control of it. The g-girl body has t-t-tunnel vvvision so I c-c-can't blllock out the c-c-cats from my sssight. With those t-two together, every t-t-time I get sp-p-plashed with c-c-cold water, I t-t-turn into the g-girl and go N-Neko!"  
  
He stopped his story with a shudder and shook violently. It was clear to everyone else that he couldn't continue.  
  
One by one they turned to look at Genma panda with their anger filled glares.  
  
Genma saw trouble and silently started to want the pond's high tide to arrive, so he would drown peacefully (stupid as pandas are, this thought actually came from the man-side, showing how dumb Genma really is).  
  
Nabiki lent over to her father and whispered "Do you think we should tell him about Nodoka coming over soon, either to let him panic or to get rid of him, or let it be a surprise?"  
  
Akane joined in and have her thoughts. "That would give him a quick finish. I've got a better idea."   
  
The panda looked on as the three were discussing its fate, a huge sweat drop appeared on its head. 'This can't be good.'  
  
_____________________________________________________________________  
  
When the meeting drew to a close, it ended in laughter.  
  
Akane then turned to Ranma, who was still shaking. "You should probably take your bath now."  
  
Ranma, in distress from his short trip back through his past, made no indication that he even realised they were still there.  
  
"Go with him Akane," Soun said. "He'll need your help." Both Akane and Nabiki grinned, although for different reasons.  
  
___________________________________________________________________  
  
Akane nudged Ranma and got up. Ranma didn't move, so Akane took him by the arm. Surprisingly Ranma stood up and followed Akane's lead.  
  
She led him to the changing room. Once in there she could see that he was still unresponsive. Thinking of leaving him there and hopefully he would come around, she started to exit the room. Almost immediately he started to shake uncontrollably. She rushed back in to hold him and calm him down.   
  
Eventually his shaking stopped, but he was still no closer to reaching his senses.  
  
"This is it then," Akane sighed out loud, as she started to undress Ranma.  
  
Unbuttoning his red Chinese shirt, she felt the thrill shiver down her spine as she realised what she was about to do. She slid his shirt of his heavily muscled shoulders and held it out at arms length. "This needs a lot of work. A thorough scrub and a good patch up," she noted, then laid it to the side. Next she untied the strap of cloth around his waist, allowing his pants to drop to the floor.   
  
She then peeled off his tank top undershirt and gasped at the many scars that disfigured his body. They were the remains of deep scratches which spanned across his chest, over his shoulders, and down his back. Most of them were long thin lines, but there were some that would definitely cause discomfort and hinder his flexibility. Akane recognised them as the scars of the Neko-ken training.   
  
Running her hand across some of the deeper scars she whimpered "How could anyone purposely do this to someone, yet alone an eight year old boy?" He flinched, probably at the memory of the cuts being made Akane thought, flinching herself as she thought what it would be like.  
  
Feeling the horror of such a traumatic experience, she clutched herself to him, holding tightly as if she could break through his mental barrier. Her tears dripped down her face and onto his chest. "I'm here for you Ranma. I'll try to help you in anyway I can. I promise."  
  
Although she enjoyed the moment holding him, she slowly released him, to continue on with her task. She grasped the elastic of his boxers and pulled them down. At the sight in front of her, many thoughts and emotions flooded through her. Most were new to her, and many made her blush a dark crimson.  
  
"No. This is not the time for that. I'll wait until we get to know each other better" she said to herself. Resigning to the fact that she'll get wet while washing him, she decided to have her bath too. She stripped off and led him to a stool to wash him on.  
  
She picked up a bucket and filled it up with warm water, then proceeded to pour it over him. The heat of the water seemed to soothe his tensed muscles, 'probably dreading cold water' she mused as she put the bucket down. Now with the soap she scrubbed Ranma's back, feeling the rough scarring beneath her fingers. She gradually slid closer and wrapping her arms around him, she soaped up his front. After massaging the soap about his abdomen, she stopped, unwilling to go any lower without his consent. 'If only...'she thought, 'if only he was here with me.'  
  
Realising she was daydreaming on his shoulder, she pulled away and scrubbed herself. After refilling the bucket with warm water, she rinsed them both off.  
  
Without a soak in the furo, she led him back out to the changing room. She dried herself off and put on a bath robe. Turning back to Ranma, she dried him off then realised she forgot to get him some clean clothes. Mentally hitting herself, she wrapped the towel around his waist, and led him up to his room. She found him some more boxers to wear from his bag and laid him down on his futon to sleep. She looked on him with pity and then left the room.  
  
__________________________________________________________________  
  
Back down stairs Akane tended to his clothes, while thinking back to the scars covering Ranma. With that many reminders of his past, its no wonder he had trouble coping. 'That Bastard Genma' she thought. 'How would he feel if he had suffered from the same treatment as Ranma went through?' putting down her work, she went outside for some answers.  
  
"Genma" Akane spat. "How could you treat your own son like that? Have you even had a proper look at the damage you caused to your son from the Neko-ken training?"  
  
The panda hung its head. "Thought not," she remarked. She threw a wooden sign at the panda's head, and then asked "Why did you do something like this to him?"  
  
The panda scribbled for a bit then held up the sign. A true martial artist should be willing to sacrifice his life for the sake of the art.  
  
"Yeah, so why did you do it to Ranma instead of yourself? Aren't you a 'true' martial artist?"  
  
I was teaching him the best techniques I could find. He is now unstoppable!  
  
"So why didn't you go through with it after Ranma, OR before for that matter."  
  
It needed someone strong enough to pull me back out of the pit in case if something should happen  
  
"Just get someone else to help."  
  
No one would help  
  
"Why is that?"  
  
Genma hesitated, Because the technique was banned  
  
She paused. "Why?"  
  
It causes severe mental trauma  
  
"Then why did you put your child through with it?"  
  
To strengthen his control of himself  
  
"And Jusenkyo?"  
  
Same again  
  
"And yet he hadn't recovered from your previous attempt. You made his trauma worse for him. It'll be even harder for him to ever recover now. Those scars that he is covered in will never go away you realise, so he'll always be reminded of what you did to him. And for what may I ask? The future of the School of Anything Goes perhaps? He could never pass on the technique. I mean how could anyone with a deathly fear of cats be able to train their students in the Neko-ken?"  
  
Genma's eyes widened.  
  
"There you go. You didn't think ahead. Just like your idea of making us fend for ourselves from infancy. How are we supposed to produce an heir if we can't relate to other people?"  
  
Genma hung his head again.  
  
"That idea of yours, however mildly used in this house has ruined a loving family. Dad cries himself to sleep every night because he kept us all at arms length, even from our own mother as she slowly died.  
  
"Kasumi tries to be nice and show kindness to everyone, even if they don't deserve it. As attention was not received during that time, she seeks it now.  
  
"Nabiki still retains the coldness towards other people, but she can at least relate to them however distantly.  
  
"Me? I don't associate with anyone at all. I think the only reason I care for Ranma, is that I was brought up with the knowledge that we would be married from the very beginning. Those postcards you sent, however bland in the information they revealed, they were the only thing keeping me from emotionally closing down myself.  
  
"Now as for Ranma, I don't have a clue. Since his recount of the torture you put him through, he has been unresponsive. I can only hope he comes out of it long enough for me to show him the error of your ways."  
  
Genma didn't look up.  
  
"I will let you sit here. Stew in your misery and guilt for what you have done. When Nodoka arrives and learns of what else you have forced upon Ranma, death will seem a sweet alternative compared to what she will have in store for you. It's time to atone for the suffering you have caused." Akane stood up, glared at Genma once more and then went inside, shutting the doors behind her.   
  
Genma remained, chained up in the koi pond.  
  
_______________________________________________________________  
  
Akane continued repairing Ranma's shirt, but then had second thoughts. Instead she took it up to Ranma's room and sat nearby to watch Ranma sleep  
  
Once it was finished, she looked down at Ranma. He was frowning and began to twitch again. She pulled the second futon up beside Ranma and lied down next to him. Seeing fear and worry on his face Akane climbed under Ranma's blanket and held him close. His movements began to subside and he fell into a deep sleep.  
  
Morning  
  
Ranma awoke. It was very early in the morning, and was pretty dark outside. Looking around he found himself in a strange room. He was lying on a futon in the middle of the floor. He rolled over to see behind him and found himself face to face with a girl about his own age with dark blue hair. She had an angelic face.  
  
She was the one who helped him the day before. She was the one who promised to be there for him. She was the one who he was supposed to marry.  
  
He smiled. Thinking about what it would be like living with someone who deeply cared for you, and you for them in return. Would it even be possible for him? He had never before had someone that close. 'But it would be nice' he thought, as he raised his hand and gently brushed her face.  
  
The girl next to him smiled, and reached her free arm around his torso, and pulled him in tight. This was far from what he was expecting to happen. 'So far, so good.' He reached his arm around her shoulders and embraced her too, holding onto something so good that it could only be a dream. He closed his eyes once more, and drifted back to sleep.  
  
___________________________________________________________  
  
When he woke again, Akane had left the room. The futon she had moved back into its place across the floor, and on it laid his freshly laundered clothes.  
  
Ranma thought back to what had happened when he woke up earlier. Akane was in here, lying next to him, and had held on to him. He surprised himself when he remembered holding onto her too. That was a nice feeling then, but what would happen if he were to try that when she was awake? Would she reject him?   
  
His whole life he had got rejection from his father because he couldn't learn something fast enough, or come out with the results he was hoping for. The biggest disappointment to his father was that Ranma had never gotten full control of the Neko-ken. He only fell into it after experiencing great fear.  
  
Since Jusenkyo, Ranma had stopped caring what his father thought. He came to Nerima because it was his duty to marry Akane. After this his father would have no say in Ranma's future. In fact he had been able to beat his father years ago and leave, but the ring of Genma's words still fresh in Ranma's mind, 'You are a weakling. To allow a harmless animal frighten you so much is a disgrace to the Saotome School of Anything Goes.' He stayed with Genma, to hopefully get the chance to prove himself worthy to the only person who was a constant in his life.  
  
Now that is over. He has a new place to stay, and a new set of people he needed to be accepted by in order to feel whole. 'It may not be easy' he thought. From what he could remember of the previous night, they were surprised at his appearance. He thought that he wasn't what they were hoping for. He had to make a good impression on the household, starting now.  
  
He got dressed and left the room. Walking down the hallway he found a blue duck shaped wooden plaque hanging from the door of the room next to his. On it had Akane's name painted in white. This was his first chance to make a good impression. He would thank her for the hospitality Akane showed him, and how she helped him during the insentient spell last night.  
  
He knocked on the door. There was no answer from inside. He did not wish to go in uninvited, so he continued down the hall and into the living room.  
  
He found Soun at the table reading the newspaper. What remained of breakfast was still on the table.  
  
"Good mmmorning Mr Tendo," Ranma greeted.   
  
Soun was startled from his paper. He had not heard Ranma approach. "Oh, Good morning Ranma." He gestured for Ranma to take a seat opposite him. "How are you feeling today?"  
  
"Okay I g-g-guess. I'm sorry about what ha-appened last nnnight. I just ssstarted to lose control ag-gain after reliving my p-past."  
  
"There's nothing to be sorry about. After what you told us Genma had put you through, I thought it was amazing that you have turned out as strong willed as you are now."  
  
"Thanky-you Sir"  
  
"What interests me is why you stayed with him after the way he treated you."  
  
Ranma was surprised hearing someone else state that what Genma had done was wrong, but he didn't feel up to telling anyone about his inner feelings of weaknesses. How Genma had constantly put him down for the smallest of mistakes.  
  
"I felt-t it was my duty to c-c-carry on with the Sc-chool of Anything Goes Martial Arts. In order to p-prove myself wor-rthy of your family I nnneeded to be strong en-nough to cope with everything that is thhhrown my way. Pops t-t-tended to throw me into the w-worst of situations for me to d-deal with. I thought if I could manage to d-deal with that, you w-would accept me into your fffamily."  
  
Soun felt sorry for the boy. "I would have accepted you even if you didn't go on the training trip. I wanted nothing but for your well being and the same for my daughter's."  
  
"Then if you ap-prove, it will be an honour to mmmarry Akane."  
  
Soun smiled at Ranma. "Then it is settled. You are now formally engaged with Akane. We will discuss the wedding later. It will give you some time to adjust and for you to get to know Akane better."  
  
"W-w-where is she at the mmmoment? I w-wanted to thhhank her for helping me last-t-t night."  
  
"She is at school. Nabiki is applying for a position for you at the same school. She said it should be ready in about a week. Until then I want you to make yourself feel comfortable. This is now your home."  
  
Ranma bowed. He started to serve himself some breakfast when he noticed something missing. "W-where's Pop?"  
  
Soun scowled, "We left him in the pond."  
  
"What!" Ranma jumped up and ran outside.  
  
Genma panda was extremely cold. If it wasn't for his fur coat he would have frozen over night. How could his best friend do this to him? How could Ranma leave him out here? But then he remembered the talk with Akane. She had said that Ranma had been unresponsive after telling them his tale. Some of her other words had sunk in also; Ranma was a mess. He was taught how to fight, and fight well he does, but he doesn't know how to do much else but look out for himself. 'What have I done?'  
  
At that moment Ranma darted outside and fished Genma from the pond. The chains were pulled free, and Ranma carried him over his shoulder fireman style, and dumped him in the hot furo.  
  
"I'm sssorry Pops. Didn't mmmean to leave you there thattt long. Ssstay here and warm up. I'll g-get you some tea."   
  
"Brrr!" Genma shivered. Ranma's help was a surprise to him. "Where did that come from?"  
  
Ranma busied himself in the kitchen. Kasumi had already left for the market place so he searched the cupboards for the tea. He opened another cupboard and found it.  
  
He made the tea extra strong, and took it to Genma.  
  
"Why are you doing this for me Boy?"  
  
Ranma was silent. He looked into his father's questioning gaze, then left. Genma was the last person he wanted to tell that to. He didn't want another reason for his father to be disappointed.  
  
Back out in the living room Soun had asked the same question. 'There must be something bothering Ranma' he thought while waiting for a response.  
  
Ranma looked down. He didn't want to upset Mr Tendo, but _COULDN'T_ tell him. "I'm sssorry Mr Tendo. I-I-I can't answer that just yet."  
  
Soun saw anxiety in Ranma's face. "That's okay. You can tell me when you feel more comfortable." He didn't want to pressure Ranma. "Just remember if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here."  
  
Ranma nodded. He ate the rest of breakfast in silence.  
  
When he finished he took his bowl to the kitchen. Upon returning he said, "I'm g-going for a walk. I wanttt to see what there is in the n-neighbourhood."  
  
Soun smiled at him. "Have fun."  
  
___________________________________________________________________  
  
He wandered around for a few hours. He took in the sights around him, taking note of the buildings so he could find his way around later.  
  
The district of Nerima was busy. There were lots of people going about their day to day lives. People were shopping, people were at work, and people were sitting down at cafés talking.  
  
Ranma was not used to this lifestyle. It was uncanny to him. It was as though everything was contrary to what he was told and led to believe about social habits of people.  
  
He saw people happily talking with each other, sharing jokes and stories of things they had done. There were young children walking hand in hand with their parents. He was more surprised when he saw a couple openly showing affection for each other while sharing a milkshake.  
  
Ranma bought himself a drink and sat down to watch the couple. They were clearly happy in the other's company. They spoke quietly to each other, their eyes twinkling, and gazed dearly at each other as they both drew their beverage from the straws together.  
  
When they finished they got up and walked away. Ranma didn't fail to notice that they walked close together with their arms around each other.  
  
Was that like what he shared with Akane early this morning? Was he capable of having a relationship with someone like that? Does Akane feel the same about him, or was it just some unconscious act while she was asleep?  
  
Ranma _did_ want something like that, to have someone there for him, to dispel the loneliness and emptiness that he felt. But the way he was brought up made it hard for him to open up his soul to anyone.  
  
Fear of further rejection also didn't help him. He was brought up with the knowledge that he was going to marry Akane and carry on with Anything Goes Martial Arts with her at the Tendo dojo. But how does she see it? Does she see him as a business partner, or as a companion, and if the latter, who will make the first move? Ranma didn't feel as though he could do it. He was not used to human contact, so how can he hold her? How can he show he cares?  
  
Feeling a depression coming on, he stoped his train of thought. He had already taken the step of accepting the engagement, but as for a further relationship, he would not make the first move. If he did it would be in long time from now. He didn't know enough about her to feel that he had a chance. He did not want to feel rejection from her as well as his father.  
  
He needed to do some practice in order to clear his mind. He finished his drink and headed back to the dojo.  
  
___________________________________________________________  
  
Akane returned home that afternoon with a cheerful disposition. She remembered how warm she felt when cuddling up to Ranma at night. She would love to do that again.   
  
But she was more concerned about how he was feeling. Last night must have been hard on him. She hoped he was up and talking again.  
  
When she entered the house she saw her father at the table, still reading the paper. To her displeasure she also saw Genma sitting down. She gave him an evil glare as she walked past.  
  
Up the stairs, she put her school things in her room. She went to Ranma's room to check up on him. To her delight she saw that he had gotten up, but then where was he?  
  
Back down stairs she asked her father where he was.  
  
"I think he is still in the dojo. He has been working out for a couple of hours now."  
  
Akane walked toward the training hall. She went inside and stared in awe as she saw Ranma go through with a complicated kata. He glided through each move with grace; it was as if he were dancing on air. He was very skilled.  
  
He continued for another half an hour before he finished. Akane noticed that he hadn't even broken a sweat.  
  
He looked up and saw Akane. He smiled as he walked over to her.  
  
"That was incredible! I've never seen anyone move like that before!" Akane exclaimed.  
  
Ranma, not used to compliments felt uneasy. "Err, thanks. I nnneeded to clear my mmind and to relax."  
  
"Relax!" Akane exclaimed. "I heard you have been in here for about three hours now! I can barely keep two, and never something as complex as I saw you doing! I have enough trouble with the basics."  
  
"Oh" Ranma was unnerved.   
  
"How do you do it?" Akane questioned.  
  
"I dunno." Ranma thought for a bit, then "I g-guess I can last so lllong because I lived like that. Fffighting through everything that P-pops got me into, everyday having to c-cope with the t-trouble he caused me. I guess I have d-developed more st-tamina than most would believe. I had to, to b-be able to survive out there."  
  
Akane thought about his answer. It must have been hard on him over the years. She had to deal with a lot at school, and had never reached the skill Ranma has. She was slightly jealous, but pushed it aside. It was not his fault.  
  
"Would you spar with me?" Akane asked.  
  
"Ok-kay. But I will hold b-back on you until I know w-what you are capable of."  
  
Akane didn't like people holding back on her. It was insulting. It said that she wasn't good enough for people to bother with. But she knew she had no hope against Ranma so it was for the best.  
  
They walked back to the centre of the training hall and took their positions.  
  
Akane took a power stance, ready to take anything he gave her, but he just stood there with his hands behind his back, with a relaxed posture.  
  
'That's it!' Akane thought. She took the first move.  
  
Akane launched a punch with all her strength behind it, hoping to catch Ranma off guard. She was surprised when her fist hit nothing but air when she felt his hand posing as a chop to her right shoulder blade.  
  
Akane went into a spinning kick to get Ranma behind her, but Ranma grabbed her foot and swung her around and gently tossed her across the room.  
  
Akane jumped up, threw a series of fast punches towards Ranma, who just stepped beyond her reach, side stepped, and at then connected a blow above Akane's elbow of her fully extended arm. It went numb for a moment. Akane staggered about for a little while, trying to get the use of her arm back.  
  
When she had recovered, she tried a sweep at his legs. He jumped lightly and flipped over her, while guiding his path with a single finger on her head. She spun around and tried another attack, but Ranma then turned to the offensive. He threw a series of punches, many of which connected, and a few kicks in place of the punches Akane was preparing for. Akane knew they were all pulled and nowhere near his full strength, yet she took them all badly. She went down like a sack of potatoes.  
  
Akane was stunned! Those were her best moves, never failing her on the boys at school, and yet not one had fallen on Ranma. And when Ranma actually attacked the fight was practically over!  
  
Ranma crouched down next to Akane, and looked at her with a probing expression. To Akane it seemed as if he were looking right through to her soul. She was exhausted from the fight but he then poked her in a few different places and she felt re-energized, and was able to stand up again.  
  
"How did you do that? I feel as though I had just woken up from a good sleep!"  
  
"I have p-practiced shiatsu over the y-years. At fffirst it was to help heal my-self in case I g-got injured, but I kept lllearning more and found some other g-good uses."  
  
Akane was very impressed with him. He knew enough to rival the family doctor. "Dr Tofu knows a bit about shiatsu. He has helped me with all my childhood injuries when I trained with my father."  
  
"D-don't you train with him anymore?"  
  
"Not since I was six. He stopped when my mother died."  
  
"Hmm. I nnneed to talk to him anyway. I'll ask him ab-bout your t-training too."  
  
Akane smiled at him.  
  
'Now comes the hard part' Ranma mused. "Akane, I have sp-poken with your father this morning. I t-told him that I havvve accepted our en-gagement, and he said that we c-can talk about the wedding plans later."  
  
Akane rushed forward and hugged him after the good news. Ranma tensed up. He wasn't ready for that reaction.  
  
Akane felt his response and loosened her grip. "What's wrong?"  
  
Ranma was nervous. This _is_ what he wanted, but he wasn't ready for it. "Sssorry. I'm just not us-sed to this."  
  
Akane understood. He had been estranged from people while very young, and now had to adjust.  
  
"I have been looking forward to meeting you for a long time. I kept every postcard your father sent us. It was as though I had found a friend through the words of your achievements. My only friend," she paused. She had just confessed her true feelings to him. He was the first person she had ever confided in. She had to tell him about her feelings. "And when I finally met you, I realized how much I wanted you, how much I love you." She stopped for his response.  
  
It took Ranma some time to get the words out. "I g-grew up with the sssame thoughts. I didn't have any inf-formation about you. All I knew was that we were to mmmarry. I would l-like to share the same with y-you. B-but it will take me sssometime to get used to being c-close to someone, and to ssshare my feelings."  
  
Akane was a bit disappointed, but she knew where he was coming from. She had promised to help him in anyway she could, she would do just that. She would help him overcome his detachment from human compassion.  
  
"I will help you as long as it takes," promised Akane.  
  
Ranma bowed. Feeling discomfort from the present situation, he left the dojo.  
  
____________________________________________________________________  
  
He lay on the roof of the house for some time. He mulled over his conversation with Akane. She wanted him. She loved him. She had said so. He wanted nothing else. He wanted what he saw the couple had in the bar, friendship beyond friendship. A lifelong bond with Akane, but he had a life of believing that it was not needed to deal with.  
  
He sighed.   
  
He wanted it to go well between Akane and himself. It will take a lot of work for him to adjust, but he was willing to put his whole effort into it. He would try to help her in the same way she helped him.  
  
He got down and decided to call it a night. But he needed a bath first.  
  
He got undressed and entered the bathroom. So his surprise, Soun was in the furo, soaking in the heat of the water.  
  
"Oops. Sssorry M-mr Tendo."  
  
"No that's alright. There's plenty of room."  
  
"Ok-kay, thanks". Ranma sat on a stool and began to wash himself. He noticed the look of horror on Soun's face when he saw his scars, but he ignored it.  
  
"I j-just had a spar with Akane. She sssaid you haven't been t-training her for about ten years."  
  
Soun was uneasy. It was one of the things he didn't like to talk about. But seeing how Ranma told them his story last night, he felt Ranma deserved to get his in return.  
  
"Shortly after you and Akane were born, your father and I took the future of Anything Goes Martial Arts into our own hands. Our Master was a perverted freak who went around stealing women's underwear, and then to get away he left us to get pummelled by the crowd of angry women chasing him.  
  
"We thought this was not an honourable style the way it was going, so we dealt with the master accordingly, we got rid of him.  
  
"During our celebration we came to discuss the future of our school. We decided we needed to pass on the skills to our children. Genma suggested an arranged marriage between my youngest and you after you had both become sufficient in the Art. By the age of sixteen you both would have learned enough to improve together.  
  
"But Genma came up with another idea for both of your up bringing, he said that you both needed to learn to fend for yourselves, so you wouldn't have to depend on someone else when you get into trouble.   
  
"It made sense at first. I wasn't as keen on the idea as was your father, but I agreed to it. Your father took you away from home, against your mother's will, and took up your training. I told my wife the idea, she didn't like it either, but knowing it was for the best we started to keep our daughters at arms length."  
  
He stopped for a while. He remembered the last moments of his wife's life. "When my wife became ill, I started to regret what I had done. My daughters didn't get the love they should have from us, and Kimiko didn't get to spend the time with the children as she wanted. When she died I was heartbroken. She was gone, and my daughters did not know what it was like to have loving parents.   
  
"I tried to redeem for my actions, I started to try and get closer to them. Akane wasn't interested. She just wanted to fight, but I couldn't do it anymore. I wanted to hold her and tell everything was going to be alright. I didn't want to hurt her.  
  
"When I stopped, our family doctor said that she would have trouble with her chi. She was growing stronger at an exceptionable rate. Without the further training it would become too dangerous for her. I asked Dr Tofu if he could hold it steady until I was willing to go back to training her, but so far I have been unable to do so." He finished on a sombre note.  
  
Ranma spoke up, "I had-d noticed the b-blockages. They are now c-causing her more harm than g-good. T-ten years is a lllong time, and in that t-time her body nnneeded a greater sssupply of chi to keep up her skill. Without-t it her skill has degraded. She n-needs to start her t-training all over ag-gain, but her chi nneeds to be released b-before that is pos-sible."  
  
Soun was shattered. His failure to fix the problems he caused Akane has now caused more problems. "Can you forgive me? After all the pains you went through could you find it in your heart to forgive a man's blindness for his children's needs?" Soun pleaded.  
  
"It is not m-me you nnneed to ask for ffforgiveness. It is Akane. I'm wa-aiting for my own fffather to acknowledge his mmmistakes and ask me the same question."  
  
Soun nodded. "Yes, it was my fault for Akane. She needs help." Soun looked up at Ranma, "Would you be willing to help me, would you help my little girl?"  
  
"Of c-course I will. She will b-be my w-wife soon after all."  
  
Soun burst out crying, "Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou!"  
  
"I n-nearly released her c-chi when I noticed it, but t-ten years! There may be some p-problems of releasing it all at once. I would nnneed to see this doctor t-tomorrow about it."  
  
Soun agreed. "He has a clinic down town. He is a nice person and is easy to talk to. I don't doubt that he would answer your questions."  
  
They were silent for a while, both soaking up the heat of the water. "How are you and Akane getting along?" Soun hoped he didn't sound too nosey.  
  
Ranma thought for a moment, he then said "I t-told her about our talk this mmmorning. She was so happy. She sssaid how she was lllooking forward to me coming here, and how she llloves me. But I..." he paused.  
  
"You are not sure?" Soun asked.  
  
"No. It's n-not that," he paused. "I possibly fffeel the same about her. It's j-just that I am n-not used to expressing these k-kind of fffeelings. Nor used to b-being so close to someone."  
  
"I understand. I think Akane would understand also. You just need the time to get used to it. Possibly training with her will help you to be able to get closer."  
  
Ranma hoped it would help.  
  
He got out, said goodnight, and went to bed.  
  
_______________________________________________________  
  
Akane sat in her room, writing in her diary.  
  
Dear Diary  
  
Today started off to look promising. I woke up in Ranma's arms. It felt so right! Even after all these years of wanting no one, I know that I do want to be with him.  
  
But the moment was ruined, I had to go to school.   
  
I didn't want to wake him, I wasn't even sure he had recovered from the previous night.  
  
School seemed to pass by much slower than usual today as I wanted to see Ranma again.   
  
When I got home I was surprised when I saw him in action. He was incredible! He performed perfectly, without effort, and he said he did it to relax! I don't know how he does it, but for me it is not relaxing! It is hard work. I am ashamed to admit it but I was a little jealous when he treated it like it was just another thing to do.  
  
I told him that I loved him. He was frightened. He said that he would like to be with me, but he said that he needed time to get used to it.  
  
I hope I didn't scare him away.  
  
She hid her diary away and lied back on her bed.   
  
She really did hope that he wasn't scared of her coming forth with her feelings of him.  
  
'He said he needed time. No scratch that, WE need to spend time together. But what could we possibly do together that would last long enough?'  
  
She was brought back from her thoughts with a noise coming from the room next door, Ranma's room. She got up to see what the matter was.  
  
He was lying on his futon, struggling with the covers that were tangled around him. It was clear that he was asleep and having a bad dream. "No, get them off. Let me out..." he murmured.   
  
Akane got down next to him and reassured him with her touch on his face. When he stopped thrashing around Akane lay next to him and held onto him. 'I could get used to this' she thought as he stopped shaking and calmed down.  
  
She stayed a little while. She was trying to figure out what she could do for him. His dream was obviously about the Neko-ken training. He had nightmares about the cats clawing him, and they bothered him when he was awake also.  
  
She decided to try to find a way to get him over his fear of cats. It was definitely what made him so nervous all the time. Tomorrow she would look in the school library and see if she could find something on phobias and how to treat them. That is all she could do.  
  
When she was sure Ranma was calm, she got up and went to her room.   
  
As she was waiting for sleep to overcome her, her last thoughts were 'I will not fail you Ranma. I will not rest until I can find a way to get you over your fears.'  
  
___________________________________________________________________  
  
Everyone was at Breakfast the next morning. Genma was shunted to the end of the table away from everyone and ignored, but between the rest of them, there was friendly conversation.  
  
Then Soun made an announcement: "Akane, I have spoken with Ranma. We have decided for you to start guided training in Anything Goes Martial Arts again. Ranma has agreed to take your lessons from now on."  
  
Akane smiled at Ranma. 'Perfect! That would give me a good excuse to spend more time with him without awkward conversation.'  
  
"If there is no problem," Soun looked toward Ranma, "I believe you will start this afternoon."   
  
Ranma nodded.  
  
"That would be great! Thankyou," Akane squealed as she jumped forward to hug him again.  
  
Ranma stiffened, but tried to get into it; he patted her shoulder. "N-n-no problem. It will k-keep me oc-cupied, and help mmme to k-keep up on my sk-kill."  
  
"That's nice," smirked Nabiki. "She throws herself onto you, and all you do is pat her!"  
  
Nabiki received an evil look from everyone, and she fell back in surprise.  
  
"He's had a hard life. He's doing quite well after how he was treated," Kasumi said.  
  
Genma gulped. No one could feel good after the look of disapproval Kasumi gave him.  
  
"We better get going Akane. We don't want to be late." Nabiki needed a good excuse to get away.  
  
Akane released her hold on Ranma. "I'm sorry. I have to go now. But I'll see you after school." She got up and walked out the door with Nabiki.  
  
Outside Nabiki found herself shoved across the side walk. She got up and turned to Akane. "What's was that for?"  
  
"Don't you ever say anything like that again about Ranma!" Akane fumed. "You should leave him alone."  
  
"Oh come on. Show charity to Ranma? He couldn't afford the fee!" chirped Nabiki. But she then found herself nose to nose with a furious Akane.  
  
"You would not even be able to pay the hospital bill after what I would do to you," threatened Akane.  
  
Nabiki froze. This was the first time she had ever been on the receiving end of a physical threat, and such a painful threat it was. She had no choice but to withdraw her antics. Akane had a short enough fuse as it was.  
  
They walked the rest of the way to school in silence.  
  
Back inside Kasumi poured Ranma another cup of tea. Ranma accepted the cup with thanks.  
  
"Ranma boy, you make an old man proud."  
  
Ranma listened intently. This is the first time he had ever heard praise from his father's lips.  
  
"Teaching the Art to your fiancé is an honourable thing to do. I have a few ideas..."  
  
"You can k-keep them to y-yourself!" Ranma snapped.  
  
"You should respect your elders boy!"  
  
"Like y-you did with your mmmaster?" Ranma added. "Mr Tendo was k-kind enough to tell me his lllife story la-ast night. From what I g-gathered, your master did mmmany of the things to you, as y-you have done to mmme. You have seemed to p-pick up on the b-bad habits which earned him no respect."  
  
Genma sat stunned. The comparison between him and his old master was too much to deal with.  
  
"If you t-try to int-terfere with Akane's t-training, I'll show you the sssame res-spect you showed your mmmaster when you got rid of him!" Ranma finished.  
  
The group sat in silence.  
  
Ranma stood up. "Sssorry for having to b-bring that up at the b-breakfast table Mr Tendo."  
  
"That's perfectly alright Ranma."  
  
"Kasumi, thhhankyou for breakfast." He bowed. "But I mmmust be going. I need to see if that D-dr Tofu has any t-time to spare me today."  
  
Kasumi leapt at the sound of the doctor's name. "Hang on a minute Ranma." She scrambled to find something in the kitchen. When she found it she said, "Could you return this book to him?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Thanks a lot," Kasumi beamed.  
  
Ranma walked outside with the book under his arm.  
  
__________________________________________________________________  
  
When he found his way to Tofu's clinic, he took a seat.  
  
Soon enough the doctor escorted an elderly lady from his office, and gestured for Ranma to enter.  
  
"What can I do for you?" asked the friendly doctor.  
  
"I c-came here concerning a fffriend of mine. Her name is Akane Tendo."  
  
"Ah, yes. She is a lovely girl. A bit too self sufficient and aggressive for my liking, but charming nether the less."  
  
"I am c-concerned about the c-chi b-blocking you performed on her."  
  
The doctor's face fell. "Yes. I have begun to regret what I did to her those many years ago. It was only meant to be for a little while, until her father had adjusted to the circumstances."  
  
"I have b-been declared Akane's new instructor in the Arts. I sssparred with her yesterday, when I nnnoticed the blockages in her chi flow. I nnnearly released them there and then when I re-energised her st-trength after the mmmatch, but I nnneeded to find out why they were p-put there first. I have spoken to Mmmr Tendo about it, he t-told me the whole story."  
  
The doctor was flabbergasted, "The whole story!? That's amazing! He hasn't been able to talk about it for a long time."   
  
"I had to t-tell him my lllife story the nnnight before, and it was mmmuch worse than his. I g-guess he thought he owed me."  
  
"Your story? Who are you?" the doctor inquired.  
  
"Ranma Saotome."  
  
"THE Ranma Saotome?"  
  
"Uh, yeah."  
  
"That's good news. I've heard so much about you from Akane and Soun. And now you are going to train Akane."  
  
"Yes. B-but about those bl-lockages?" Ranma interrupted. "Ten years with-out the necessary chi ffflow has caused her more harm. But I d-don't think it would do her any g-good to release it all at once."  
  
"No. You're right." He went to his bookshelf and pulled out a journal. Flipped through a few pages, and said "The best way to do it would be treatment after each of her training sessions. It would increase her chi flow gradually, slow enough for her to get used to the extra energy."  
  
"What-t would I have to d-do with the treatment?" asked Ranma.  
  
"You? Do you know shiatsu?"  
  
"Yeah. It was one of thhhe most nnnecessary things to llearn while out on the road," he answered.  
  
Dr Tofu looked pleased.  
  
"Well there are four that you'll need to concentrate on, in three of the elementals. The wood, fire, and metal.  
  
"In the wood element I want you to concentrate on the Liver Meridian. The fire will cover the Heart Meridian and the Heart Protector. And in the Metal is the Lung Meridian.  
  
"Each of the areas are concerned in the production and flow of chi. The charts of pressure points are in this book," he handed Ranma the journal. "Conduct the treatment in whole for the first session, after that you should concentrate on these pressure points that relate to chi stagnation."  
  
"Thanks Doc."  
  
"Keep me updated on her progress," the doctor smiled.  
  
"I will." He started to turn, but then he remembered, "Oh yeah. Kasumi asked me to ret-turn this t-to you." He handed over the book.  
  
"K K Kasumi..." the doctor trailed off.  
  
Ranma's eyes widened as he watched the doctor jump around with what Ranma thought was halfway between joy and insanity. When it got to the point of Tofu dancing around with the model skeleton he had, Ranma decided it was time to intervene.  
  
With a quick prod at a couple of points on both sides of Dr Tofu's spine, between the shoulder blades, the doctor stopped and realised what he had been doing. He then looked up to Ranma for confirmation.  
  
"You ssstarted to act strange at the mmmention of Kasumi's name."  
  
"Kasumi?" That was the first time he could say her name with out going over the edge. He had a crush on the girl since she was fifteen. Since then he had suffered from anxiety attacks and started to act silly.  
  
"I t-touched your Heart Yu p-points, associated with your c-control of your emotions. You should b-be able to approach her now without the nnneed for a d-dance with the skeleton." Ranma smirked as he pointed to the model skeleton in Tofu's arms.  
  
The doctor was extremely embarrassed. "Uh, thanks." He was still getting over his foolishness when he said, "I've been looking for something to help me with that for a while."  
  
"A-and all it t-took was a roaming mmmartial artist!" Ranma continued.  
  
Tofu burst out laughing.  
  
Then another thought hit Ranma. "Say Doc, d-do you know anythhhing about the Nnneko-ken, or treating Jusenkyo c-curses?"  
  
"Not off hand," Tofu replied. "But come back in a few days and I'll see what I can find." The two seemed vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn't remember what they were. Curious to why Ranma would be asking him, he asked why.  
  
Ranma wasn't keen on spilling his problems to a stranger. The Tendos say that he was a nice and trustworthy man, but Ranma wasn't too sure about him just yet. "Oh I kn-now someone who is ha-aving trouble with b-both, and he has as-sked me to look for sssomething to help him."  
  
The doctor was beginning to like Ranma even more. "Glad to be of help."  
  
Ranma left the clinic. He went back to the dojo to study the book Tofu lent him.  
  
____________________________________________________________________  
  
Akane was in a bad mood. There was nothing useful in the library at all. She had spent about two hours searching with no results.  
  
'I'll just have to see if Dr Tofu has anything in his collection,' she thought, 'But not today.' She really wanted to get home on time for a session with Ranma.  
  
As her thoughts drifted back to Ranma, she felt light headed. Her essence took up an aura of peace that she hadn't felt in such a long time. She felt so cheerful that she started to skip her way home.  
  
Ranma was awaiting her in the dojo. He was looking over a set of charts at the time. When he saw Akane enter, he packed them away.  
  
"Hello Ranma."  
  
"G-good afternoon Akane."  
  
Akane was a bit unimpressed with Ranma's formality. She was waiting for him to overcome his fears and to hold her.  
  
"Training t-today will be light. There is sssomething else that nnneeds my at-tention."  
  
Akane's face became solemn at that announcement.  
  
"When y-your father stopped t-training you, he had your chi bl-locked from growing in strength."  
  
Akane was horrified. 'How could he betray me like that?!'  
  
"He did this ssso you wouldn't lllose control. Without g-guidance, your chi would have b-become too g-great to handle."  
  
'Oh' her anger subsided.  
  
"B-but he waited too long for your t-training to recommence. Your chi should be much g-greater than it is now. B-because the b-blockages are now so great, I will have to release it g-gradually. It will take a while for your t-treatment tonight, but each successive treatment should be mmmuch quicker."  
  
'More time to spend in Ranma's company! What could possibly ruin my happiness?' Akane thought.  
  
"Due to the lllack in chi flow, your form had degraded. You will have to lllearn everything from ssscratch."  
  
'Damn!'  
  
"I want you to st-tart on your punch. I nnnoticed when we were sparring, your p-punches would have caused y-you more harm than me. So I want you to align your hits so they are b-both aimed and hit with your arm held c-correctly."  
  
He turned around and walked to the corner where the training equipment was. "Let's sssee what we have in here," Ranma said to himself. His eyes fell on some practice dummies in the corner, "That should d-do us for now." He moved one to the centre of the room.  
  
"This is what I w-want you to do." He punched the dummy square on, right in the painted target area. It shuddered violently on the stand. "Mmmake sure you hit the right p-place, and hit it p-properly." Stepping aside, he gestured for Akane to try it.  
  
She stepped forward, thinking that this was such a basic step; she would get through this easily. She held her stance, and went in for the kill. Much to her surprise, her aim was off a slight bit, and it did not respond quite as well as when Ranma hit it. She didn't think that she was that bad.  
  
Ranma saw the look of disbelief on Akane's face. "Don't w-worry. It's nothing major. Y-you just nnneed to fix your ap-proach and alignment. "  
  
Ranma stepped beside Akane, holding her arm, he guided her step by step through the correct motions. "This is how y-your arm should move. Nnnotice how much more p-power you can deliver. You should hold your wrist like this," and adjusted her arm accordingly. "This is to mmmake sure you don't j-jar your wrist when you make contact. Now you try it."  
  
Akane lined up her arm like Ranma showed her, and hit the target.   
  
"That's mmmuch better Akane. Now t-try with your other arm. Remember to llline it up the same way as b-before."   
  
Her first shot fell short of the target, but her second was perfectly aligned.  
  
"G-good. Now for some repetitions." Akane continued on with her left, then right. She made good progress. Ranma had to adjust her arm every now and then, so she got the angle right.   
  
After a while she was performing every shot perfectly.  
  
"Halt" Ranma called.   
  
Akane looked over. "What is it?"  
  
Ranma pointed at the clock on the wall. "You are d-doing well, but look at the time. I have to g-get started on your chi t-treatment."  
  
Ranma pulled out the charts he borrowed from Dr Tofu. He knew what he had to do, but some of these pressure points he needed to access were in places that were a bit too intimate for what he was ready for.  
  
"Akane?" he whispered. "Are you wearing a b-b-bra under your gi?"  
  
She was startled at his question. It was a bit forward for how she knew Ranma felt about her. "Y-yes," she whispered back with a grin on her face.  
  
Ranma's face flushed bright red. "Um, I'll have to ask y-you to take it off. It would g-g-get in the w-way of some of the p-p-pressure points I need to access."  
  
Akane smiled at his state of nervousness. She saw beads of sweat running down the sides of his face as she began to untie her belt and slide out of her top. To her disappointment he quickly turned around so he couldn't see her state of undress. 'At least some things make him sweat.' She quickly took off her bra and put her top back on.  
  
He turned back around when he felt the tap of Akane's hand on his shoulder. 'She had her top back on at least' he thought, but then saw her bra hanging across the practice dummy's head. Somehow the thought: 'What I wouldn't to for that to be my head!' slipped into his head.   
  
'WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?' Ranma's brain was on fire.  
  
"Now what would you like me to do?" Akane asked timidly.  
  
'Take of your clothes very slowly...' 'URRRG!'  
  
"Um, lie d-down on the mat. I nnneed to p-prepare," he managed to get out.  
  
He walked a few paces away and kneeled down. He needed to calm down and concentrate. He closed his eyes and started the meditation to develop his Hara. He started breathing down into his abdomen, and gradually reduced his breath intake.   
  
After a few minutes he moved over to where Akane was lying. She was looking at him with a curious expression on her face.   
  
He took a deep breath, then said, "Mmmany of the p-p-places that I will be fffocusing on during the t-t-treatment, you may fffind, um, uncomfortable. You just need to re-elax and stay calm. Okay?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Let's begin."  
  
He placed his left hand on her abdomen, and to her surprise, his other gripped high at the top of her thigh. Using his thumb, he gradually kneaded down her inner thigh, past her knee, and down the side of her calf until he reached her toes. The effect for Akane was a light buzzing in her brain. It was from the contact and intimacy of Ranma's touch, but there was something else there too. She felt the same feeling again when he repeated the procedure on the other leg.  
  
To Akane's dismay, he broke contact. But he then moved up and with his hands and like a spade, dug into her sides, slightly above her hips. It made her squirm as his fingers walked up her sides, digging in just as deep, up to her shoulders and then up the sides of her neck, finally stopping behind her jaw.  
  
Akane gasped. She felt like she was in a new body. Her body felt cooler, more energy radiated throughout her veins, and her mind was clearer than ever. What Ranma was doing to her felt like magic!  
  
He motioned her to stay there while he went back to the charts.  
  
She watched him as he studied the papers. He seemed to have a greater control over himself, as he sat tall and straight. To Akane, it looked like he had found peace.  
  
Inside, Ranma's fire was blazing. The last exercise brought out feelings Ranma never thought was possible for him to have. If he hadn't been taught how to show a strong bearing, he would have been quivering silently in a dark corner. Yet it was the shortest and lest intimate technique that he needed to perform.  
  
'Must get a hold on myself!' he thought. 'Soul of ice.' He cooled off, and his breathing slowed.  
  
He approached Akane again. He gently raised her arms to lie above her head. Starting between her last two digits, he thumbed deeply, down her hand, down her ulna, and up her forearm. After he repeated with the other arm, they felt heavy, like they could just mould into the shape of the floor. She had never felt so relaxed.  
  
He motioned her to lie on her stomach. As she rolled over, he places pillows beneath her shins so the backs of her feet were not curled on the floor. Starting just beneath her pelvic bone, he worked his way down the back of her legs and around her heels.  
  
After she turned over onto her back, his hands reached for her chest. Her first instinct was to draw him in for a passionate kiss, but he pinned her down. With the edge of his hands, he massaged either side of her sternum. She could feel the pressure he was applying beneath her bones.  
  
His hands moved again and with his fingertips, formed arches around the top contours of her breasts. With his fingertips, he was probing the flesh deep beneath her skin, tracing out a heart shape across her chest.  
  
The last bit of this technique, he kneeled behind her head and worked his fingers in a parabolic shape, following the inner contour of her jaw.  
  
Upon his completion, she was in a state of complete relaxation. She had never felt so calm before.  
  
'ARRRGH! WHAT'S GOING ON? THE SOUL OF ICE DIDN'T WORK! MY INNER FLAMES BURNED RIGHT THROUGH IT!'  
  
'Don't worry. She was enjoying it. Look at her over there. She is at peace with everything.'  
  
'BUT I'M NOT! MY BODY IS RAGING WITH INSTINCTS THAT I'M CURRENTLY TRYING TO AVOID!'  
  
'That's okay, we can do them later.'   
  
Ranma's mind filled with fear and pleasure; a not too unpleasant feeling. Where ever the second voice in his head was coming from, he wasn't sure, but it was egging him on, with confidence.   
  
He stood up and approached Akane again.  
  
Ranma moved her arms out at ninety degrees to her torso, and thumbed with great accuracy a path starting at her biceps, and ran down the center of her arms and between the two central tendons of her lower arm up to her wrists.  
  
When he moved back to her torso Akane was in for a bigger surprise. Ranma placed one hand above her navel, and the other, with his fingertips brushing across one of her nipples, thumbed a line up the midpoint of her breastbone. The feel of the fabric sliding across her erect nipple was nothing to what his other techniques were doing to her. His next move was another heart shaped pattern, but this time it was across her breasts.  
  
Akane was on fire! The only thing stopping her from losing her mind was his sudden change to cupping a circular shape from the top of her cleavage to her neck.  
  
Finished with the area that was highly sensitive to both of them, he moved up to her neck. With soft thumb pressure, he traced her carotid arteries. Both of their pulses slowed due to the change in stimulation.  
  
For the last of the treatment, he turned her over, and traced lines down from her buttock and across the soles of her feet.  
  
Back at the charts he started to breathe again.  
  
'See, that wasn't so bad was it?'  
  
'But the feel of her nipple through...'  
  
'Said you would like it didn't I?'  
  
'Yeah, but one more to go...'  
  
He thumbed one more path down her arms, then with one hand he applied pressure above her hip while the other walked a path from the first, up to the inner edge of her breasts and then across her shoulders.  
  
With one more session at her throat and legs, he was finished.  
  
"Thhhat is all for t-tonight" he said.  
  
Akane was snapped out of her trance. She had been dreaming of lying next to Ranma, while he was holding on to her and fondling in that soft reassuring way.  
  
"G-goodnight Akane Tendo," Ranma finished off. He had to be so formal so he kept his urges under control. He left the dojo quickly and dashed into the house  
  
'Time for a cold shower!'  
  
'NO I CAN'T HAVE A COLD SHOWER. BLOODY CURSES!'  
  
'I guess a long hot soak will have to do.'  
  
Ranma went to the bathroom, stripped out of his extremely sweaty clothes, and began to scrub himself furiously.  
  
He thought back to how he felt while massaging Akane. 'That was scary, but pleasant at the same time.' He also thought back to when he woke up with her in his arms. It _was_ good back then. Tonight was just a step further. 'Or was it?'  
  
He rinsed himself off and went for a soak in the furo.  
  
What would it be like to just curl up next to her and to hold? 'Probably pretty good. Although I had trouble keeping my cool up in her company.'   
  
He kept up the thought, when the door opened, and in came Akane, naked, with only a towel around her arm.  
  
____________________________________________________________________  
  
Akane was upset. After being so close to him through the training and her treatment, he just ran away. She had definitely felt something there, from his contact. She saw it in his eyes too.  
  
Akane decided that she would take a bath first, then go looking for him. She would give him a piece of her mind.  
  
She stripped out of her sticky clothes, and entered the bathroom.   
  
He was already there. He was in the furo, looking her way like a deer caught in her headlights. 'That's good. I'll show him.'  
  
She proudly walked over to the stool and began to wash herself. She took special care to make sure he got a full view of her as she twisted and reached the soap over her naked form.  
  
'This is fun' she thought, as she watched him stare as the warm water ran off her body. The way he was so easily mesmerised, Akane wanted to give him a longer show. She decided to wash her hair.   
  
She threw another bucket of water over herself, thoroughly wetting her hair, and with some shampoo in her hands, lathered up a rich foam. She slowly moved her arms above her head, their movement causing her breasts to rise up and down as she thrust her chest out to make sure he got a good look.  
  
He was frozen in place. He could not turn away. All he could do was watch as she finished washing herself. When she reached down for water to rinse out her hair, Ranma's eyes were focussed on her breasts as they gently hung from her torso. They were a bit small, but they were perfectly shaped, and were enough to make any man want to regress back to their youth to be nestled between the lovely pair.  
  
She poured the water ever so slowly, holding the bucket high above her head. The suds washed out from her dark blue hair, and came up with a lustrous shine.   
  
When she was finished, she walked over to the tub slowly, then climbed in, and sat opposite Ranma. She looked at Ranma's face full of terror, and sighed. It was not a happy sigh. She was hurt from Ranma's reactions.  
  
She looked up at the terrified boy. "Why are you afraid of me?" Her words were soft, yet they pierced through his mental blockade like a hot knife through butter.  
  
He could feel the pain in her voice, feel the anguish he caused her. He wanted to make her happy. No one could feel good when those big brown eyes gazed at you longingly.  
  
"I-I-I am not afraid of you," he stammered. "I am af-fraid of what I fffeel when you are nearby."  
  
"And why is that?" she asked painfully.   
  
Ranma was struggling to find the words he needed. "I-I-I have nnnever had these fffeelings b-before. It's all nnnew to me.  
  
"During your t-treatment, I was sev-verely losing c-control. Touching you like thhhat was making my b-body react in ways I've nnnever heard of. I had to t-try to fffight against it."  
  
"Please don't fight against me Ranma. I want you just as badly." She moved so that she was sitting beside him. He tensed up.  
  
"For someone who was scared of those feelings, you sure put on one big show for me. You moved with great confidence. You didn't quaver, you held strong.  
  
"The way you held onto me on your first sleep here, I woke up with your arms around me. We can start from there if the other stuff was too much for you." She waited for his response.  
  
He looked down into the water, avoiding her naked features, and thought for a while. Before Akane became too impatient he said, "Are you sssure that you'll let me take it ssslowly? Allow me to mmmake the pace?"  
  
"Yes. I've already have been waiting for a long time, a little longer wont be much of a problem. Having you here is a big step for me too. Our lives have been hard enough on us already, now we have been given a break. Please don't push me away. Let me hold you, if not to just comfort each other."  
  
"Ok-kay. I'll t-try to show my feelings, but c-could we d-do it away from our p-present state of dress? It is a b-bit too mmmuch for me after the session in the dojo."  
  
Akane realised how forward she had been by coming in here. 'Whoops!' "I'll let you have a bit more time alone in here. Dinner should be ready soon." She stood up, Ranma was trying hard to avert his gaze. "I'll see you later," and she left the room.  
  
Ranma slightly relaxed. He lay back in the water and listened to the sound of his heart pounding and carefully slowed it down. This will take a bit of getting used to. As long as she takes it easy on me I should be okay.  
  
After another ten minutes, he emerged and got dressed. When he entered the living room he saw that Akane had saved him a seat beside her. She patted the cushion to call him over.  
  
Ranma sat down nervously as Akane heaped up his plate with food. Everyone's eyes were on the two as they ate dinner together in a meaningful silence. Ranma inhaled his food as they have seen him do before. Akane had also ate her food at an exceptional rate. She refilled their plates and they guzzled down the food.  
  
Soon the silence was ended by Soun speaking up. "How was training today?"  
  
Ranma could feel the gaze of everyone focused on him. "Ssstarted at the b-basics. Akane did well when she realised the habits she p-picked up b-before were doing her nnno good. T-tomorrow I think she would be ready for a mmmore rigorous exercise, now that her aim has been c-corrected."  
  
Soun looked pleased. "What about her chi?"  
  
Both Ranma and Akane's faces turned bright red. "Uh, I ssstarted the t-treatment, and fffrom the looks of her aura and ap-petite, it now has ssstarted to t-take effect." 'Please don't ask for details!' his mind screamed.  
  
Nabiki managed to hold her tongue, after recalling Akane's reaction to her snide remarks this morning. She had viewed her 'treatment' on one of her surveillance monitors. It would get anyone's aura flaring from just watching it.  
  
Soon the table was empty of food, and Kasumi started to gather the empty dishes. Ranma jumped to his feet and offered his help. Kasumi was delighted. No one had ever tried to help before.  
  
Akane was huffed. She had intended to take Ranma to her room straight away. She stood up and said; "Ranma. I'll be in my room. Could you please come to see me when you are finished here."  
  
"Sure," he said while stacking the dishes beside the sink.  
  
Up in her room, Akane was pacing. She wanted to have a deep and meaningful conversation with Ranma. Get him to confide some of his problems with her. Get to know him better. But he was now downstairs with her sister! "Urrgg!"  
  
She decided to tidy up her room, straighten a few things out so it would be comfortable for him to stay in here. Running out of things to do, she grabbed her diary out of its hiding place.  
  
Dear diary  
  
Ranma has let me get closer to him, and after my training it was, ohhh so much closer. Then he turned tail and ran!  
  
I was furious. So upset that I walked in on him in the furo, and proceeded to tease him by staying.   
  
Gah! I couldn't believe I put on such a revealing show for him.  
  
But then he told me that he is scared of his feelings for me. Being out on the road with no affection for his whole life he has never experienced them before. But he said that he will try to open up to me.  
  
I hope he will sleep with me tonight, after all I've slept with him already, but that was by my initiative.  
  
She put the book away and waited.  
  
Soon there was a knock at her door.  
  
"Come in."  
  
Ranma made his way apprehensively through the door, and shut it behind him. She was sitting on her bed and was patting the space beside her for him to sit on. He ventured his way over and joined her.  
  
He didn't say anything, so Akane started the conversation. "Ranma, why are you so nervous all the time? Other than your feelings for me. You seemed to stutter before you knew who we were."  
  
Ranma tensed up. He did not expect to have to answer that so soon. "It has t-to do with my c-curse, and the Neko-ken."  
  
"Yeah. You told us you have nightmares. I have already calmed you down twice the last two nights while you were having them."  
  
Ranma looked up at her. "Y-you have?! That's why they w-were not as bad," he said to himself. "It wasn't the c-complete truth I t-told you the other night. It is true that I am fffighting off the Nnneko all the t-time, but it is mmmore complicated than I made it out to be. Since J-jusenkyo, it has b-become a lot worse." He paused and took a deep breath. "P-please, I'm not ready to t-talk about it. Maybe in a few more days..."  
  
Akane wrapped her arms around him. "When you are ready you can tell me everything. We can just lay here for now." She pulled him down to lie across the bed. With a bit of effort, he managed to scrape up the courage to put his arms back around her.  
  
They lay in silence for a while. The sounds from the rest of the house died down as everyone else went to sleep. Akane realising she should follow suit, got up.  
  
Ranma asked "What is it?"  
  
"Nothing. I've just got to go to sleep soon so I was going to change into my pyjamas." She whipped off her top and began to take off her bra.  
  
Ranma got to his feet. "I better let y-you g-get some sleep then." He averted his gaze and rushed towards the door, but Akane caught him by the wrist.  
  
"Please stay."  
  
"Err..."  
  
Akane smiled, then quickly covered herself up by putting on her pyjama top.  
  
"Umm, ok-kay." He moved back and took off his shirt and pants, leaving on his tank top and boxers.   
  
Akane changed into her pyjama bottoms, and beckoned Ranma over to lie next to her. When he complied, she turned off her bedside lamp. Ranma gulped, she had to lean over him when she did it, and he got a face full of cleavage.  
  
She lay back down and gently pulled his arms around her. Cuddling up to his chest, she promptly went to sleep, filled with blissful dreams. Ranma soon follwed. 


	3. Adjustments

The Sacrifice  
  
Chapter 2 - Adjustments  
  
_______________________________________________________________  
  
Ranma and Akane woke up early. The sun rose over the horizon, promising them that it would be a good day. Turning to Ranma she asked "How was your sleep."  
  
Ranma held onto Akane and said, "Mmmuch better. My d-dreams weren't as b-bad as they usually are."  
  
Akane smiled. "That was one of the best sleeps I've ever had because you were next to me." She leaned in close to his ear and whispered "Could we do that again tonight?"  
  
"I sssuppose we can," Ranma answered slowly.  
  
"Good. Because I have to get ready for school now so I have to let go." She untangled herself from Ranma and stood up. She pulled out a pair of long pants and loose button up shirt from her cupboard, and promptly put them on.  
  
"Are you going to come down for breakfast?"  
  
"Sssure," he answered. He jumped into his clothes and accompanied her downstairs.  
  
Nabiki looked up and saw the two coming down the stairs. "How did you two sleep last night?" she finished with a grin.  
  
"Never b-better," Ranma gave Nabiki an evil grin.  
  
Nabiki was taken back. She was intending to tease her sister, but Ranma was now biting into the spirit. This was getting bad.  
  
"Ahh, Mmr Tendo, is there anything I c-could help you with around h-here? I fffeel as though I should be d-doing sssomething for all your hospitality."  
  
"Think nothing of it Ranma. It is great to have you here. But now that you mention it, there are a few things that I need help fixing. I'll show you after breakfast."  
  
Ranma smiled, and then turned toward Akane, who was looking at him with an expression of gratitude. He was making her feel pleased to have him by her side.  
  
They sat and ate breakfast together. Occasionally Akane slipped a parcel of rice into Ranma's mouth which surprised him a bit, but he was happy nether the less. He smiled back at her, and while she was distracted with his expression, he slipped a morsel of food back to her. They were getting on a lot better together and Ranma seemed more at ease in her company.  
  
When the bowls were empty, Akane gave Ranma one last hug and said, "Keep this until I get back." She stood up and bounded out of the house.  
  
"You're doing a fine job with her boy," Genma decided to rear his ugly head into Ranma's fine day.   
  
"It has n-n-nothing to do with y-you Pops." Ranma got up and pulled his father outside. "An-nyway, I need to g-get a warm up before I help Mmmr Tendo out."  
  
Genma made a brave attempt of holding through with the fight but he soon lost consciousness, and Ranma continued to pummel into his father.  
  
When he was finished he went back inside. "That's b-better. I thhhink we nnneed to get something fffor him to do while he is ssstaying here, otherwise he would j-just sponge off y-your household."  
  
"Is he really that bad?" Soun asked.  
  
"Oh yeah. Althhhough he t-taught me to fffend for myself, he didn't do annnything for himself if he c-could help it. I was always the one who d-did all the work to p-pay back for his mmmesses."  
  
Soun started to rise. "If you still want to do something around here, I can show you now." He led Ranma outside. "We have a few leaks in the roof so many of the tiles need replacing. It is a big job and will take a while do finish, at least a day with the two of us." Soun said. "I was going to try to do a bit at a time but the rain kept me from being able to leave a bit unprotected. Now that you are here, we can get it done all at once without having patches between each day's work." Soun looked hopeful.  
  
"Thhhat won't b-be hard. Where are the nnnew tiles?"  
  
"They need to be cut from the pile over there." He pointed at a stack of wooden planks. Some of the planks had started to be cut, but much more needed to be done. Soun pulled up a plank and started sawing off a foot length, "This is how big they need to be. Here you can use this saw; I'll get another one out."  
  
He handed Ranma the cutting tool and started to turn away when Ranma said, "What d-do we n-need the saws for? I thhhought we were Mmmartial Artists?" He handed the tool back, lined up all of the stacked planks and swung his arm across the top plank at one foot intervals.   
  
To Soun's amazement, the stack of wood splintered into clean edged tiles of the appropriate length. His jaw dropped, "How did you do that?"  
  
"Sssomething I p-picked up in my t-training. It took a wwwhile to master, but it has its uses."  
  
"Is there anything you can do that might make the removal of the tiles quicker?"  
  
"Nnnothing but p-pull them up quicker," Ranma smirked. "But y-you said we ha-ad all day..."  
  
"We won't need it. The thing I found took the longest the other times was preparation. Thankyou Ranma, you've made what I would normally call a long and tedious task into something that could be done at a leisurely pace."  
  
"Oh w-well, if we g-get stuck into it, we c-could do sssomething else b-before Akane's training thisss afternoon."  
  
Soun was shocked. Ranma wanted for more punishing work _before_ a rigorous training session?! But as the day wore on, he began to see the physique that Ranma developed which allowed him for much harder jobs without effort.  
  
By the time Genma woke up, the roof was nearly finished. He saw Soun working on a small side of the roof while Ranma was covering a much larger portion in less time. 'All the work I had him do has sure payed off' he thought.  
  
Ranma had seen his father stir; he threw a spare tile at him and shouted for Genma to get a job to help with the place. He quickly ran from the property in fear with more tiles hurtling his way.   
  
__________________________________________________________________  
  
Akane had returned from school and she saw the state of the house, her jaw dropped. It had never looked better! The whole roof was fixed, the holes in the walls were gone, and even the broken handrail on the stairs was replaced. Akane was impressed, but was worried her father had driven Ranma to a hard day.  
  
When she found Soun to tell him off for making Ranma use up his energy before training, she was surprised to see her father slumped down across the couch. He could barely lift his hand to wave at Akane.   
  
"Why did you work Ranma so hard?" She shouted.  
  
Soun's voice was barely heard, "He wanted to do more after the roof. I tried to keep up, but..." he paused. "He is in the dojo waiting for you. I think he has been working on something else for your training."  
  
Akane was a bit annoyed about Ranma exhausting himself, but was interested in what he had prepared. 'Target practice' he had said the day before.  
  
Inside the dojo Ranma was positioning some new targets he had made about a central position. She was surprised to see him as energetic as always. He waved her to the centre.   
  
"Y-you will be d-doing a similar t-task as before, except that thhhere will be mmmultiple targets, at different h-heights and angles. Fffirst I want you to do sssome repetitions on each t-target individually, so you c-can l-learn the right way to hit thhhem, then I will call out a nnnumber and you will hit the corresponding t-target with the sssame care as yes-sterday."  
  
Akane took in everything Ranma said and realised that he was setting a difficult task for the night. She will surely be sore afterwards.  
  
Ranma showed her how to hit the targets at higher and lower inclinations, and gave some hints of how to manoeuvre between each target.  
  
Throughout the exercise Ranma got much closer to Akane as he aligned her trajectories. Several times he guided her body while standing behind with his arms around her.  
  
When it got to the stage that Akane felt as though her shoulders were about to fall off, Ranma drew the lesson to a close.   
  
"Thankyou," she gasped and let her arms drop to her sides.  
  
"T-time for your c-chi treatment."  
  
"Thankyou," she said in a more seductive manner.  
  
Ranma grinned at Akane then led her to the mat. "Sssorry to d-disappoint you, but it won't b-be anything like yesterday."  
  
When she lay down, he grasped her feet and prodded points halfway from her ankle, between the first and second toe. He then moved up her legs and applied pressure on the inside above her ankles, then outside below her knees. He reached for her hands and touched the pressure points in her webs of flesh between her thumb and index fingers.  
  
Still holding her hands, he pulled Akane to her feet. He reached around her and prodded the last two points midway down her back, then turned it into a hug. "Here's the h-hug you g-gave me."  
  
"And it's well received," she said from within his embrace. "When I can lift my arms again I can give you another."  
  
"I've g-got a better idea," he said and lowered them both back down to the mat. He wrapped her arms around him, and over the next half hour, he slowly massaged her aching muscles between warm embraces.  
  
"Mmmm" she breathed into his ear. "More..."  
  
"L-later. Now it's dinner and a b-bath."  
  
Akane ate even more than usual; she was nearly catching up to Ranma's appetite. The thing that held her back was that her shoulders were still sore. True Ranma kept feeding her every now and then, but it was easier to feed herself because she knew how much and when she was ready for more.  
  
When she had enough, she got up and staggered towards the bathroom, although not before telling Ranma to come if she called for help. His face turned bright red.  
  
True to her word, Akane did call for Ranma's help, but that was later in her room when she was changing into her pyjamas. Akane was having trouble lifting her arms so Ranma had to hold out her top while she slid into it sideways.  
  
He was longing to see her again unclothed, but the fear he had in the bathroom the previous night still held ground.  
  
They eventually fell asleep with Akane's back against Ranma's front and their legs curled around each other.  
  
___________________________________________________________________  
  
The next afternoon, training took another chunk out of Akane's energy. Ranma began to teach Akane how to kick properly. He used the same technique as he did when Akane learned how to punch.  
  
"Thhhat's it. Bring your l-leg up high."  
  
Akane complied, and after hitting the target for the 100th time she exclaimed "This is much more exhausting than punching!"  
  
"That's why w-we concentrated on the p-punch. The k-kick is more for an attack b-between punches. It is to mmmake your moves on y-your opponent fffaster by hitting them while y-you move into the nnnext position."  
  
"So why am I wasting all my energy on only kicking?"  
  
"So t-tomorrow when we combine the p-punches and kicks on the mmmultiple target exercise, you w-will do it all correctly."  
  
"Oh." After that announcement Akane put more effort and concentration into her training.  
  
When they were finished, and Ranma was touching her chi pressure points, she asked "Isn't there any way to help me get over these aches after training?"  
  
"Yes, thhhere is. But it is mmmore b-beneficial for you to c-cope with them, as they condition your b-body for rougher t-treatment. Look at your fffather after yesterday's work on the hhhouse. He had g-given up, while I had been d-doing more and preparing for your t-training session."  
  
Akane nodded. 'Tonight he will be getting more back from me then,' she thought.  
  
That evening when everyone was going to bed, Ranma was again in Akane's room. This time she got into bed wearing only her pyjama top and panties. Ranma jumped when he watched her climb in next to him without completely changing, he found it harder to wrap his arms around her as much without too much skin contact.  
  
"This is for your punishment on how sore your training made me," she said in a mock upset tone.  
  
Ranma didn't object. After all he did work her hard. But he couldn't exactly call this punishment. It was clear that they both were reaping the benefits from the closer contact. Her warmth reached him more intensely and she could feel his hard toned legs behind her.  
  
The morning brought a bit of a handful for Ranma. He woke with his hand in an imposing position. It was snaked up Akane's shirt. She was already awake and thoroughly enjoying it.  
  
Ranma tried to pull his hand out when he was fully awake but Akane held it there. "Please don't. It feels good."  
  
Ranma couldn't speak. 'It definitely felt good, but am I ready for this?' he thought. "P-please Akane, let me k-keep the pace."  
  
"You have. But now you're trying to let your fear take over." She turned her head to look back at him. "Please don't fear me."  
  
All Ranma could do was look into her dark brown eyes before he was mesmerised. He relaxed and rested his head at the back of hers.  
  
They lay like that for a while. Ranma became more at ease with the contact as his hand slowly explored the inside of her garment.  
  
"Mmmm, Ranma? You probably should stop now."  
  
"W-what's wrong?" he sounded a bit worried.  
  
"I'm about to lose myself," she said with a gasp. She rolled over and slid her hand up his shirt. She lent in closer and gave him a small kiss then looked dearly into his eyes. "And I think I should start to get ready for school." She backed away off the bed.  
  
He watched as she began to dress for the day. She felt his eyes on her. "What are you going to do today?" she asked.  
  
"Dunno. I h-have to see Dr Tofu to g-give him an update of y-your chi treatments."  
  
"Could you wait until after school so I can go with you? I needed to see if he had some books I have been looking for."  
  
"Okay" he replied.  
  
"You could pick me up from school if you like," Akane suggested.  
  
"Err, Um..." Ranma sounded.  
  
"Good. You can meet me at the front gates at three." Akane left the room before Ranma could object.  
  
He was left there, stunned to say the least when he actually realised what she meant by 'losing herself'. 'I'm gonna need a long bath!' he thought.  
  
When he finished his bath he set out for a walk about the neighbourhood again. His mind was occupied with thoughts about Akane. His feelings for her had grown as he became less fearful about showing them. He could definitely see her concern for him, and that she cared.   
  
Maybe it was time to confide in her. After all they have been sleeping together for the last few nights. The trip to Dr Tofu's would hopefully uncover some information about his troubles and no doubt Akane will want to help him.  
  
'That's it then,' Ranma thought. 'I'll tell her later how deeply this curse and Neko really go.'  
  
He wandered around aimlessly for the rest of the day.  
  
When three o'clock approached he made his way to Furinkan High School. The school was surrounded by a tall brick wall. He jumped up and sat while waiting for Akane to show up. When he was waiting he noticed that he received many looks from of the students. The girls were taking pleasure in his appearance, while the boys were slightly fearful from the power he was radiating from his position of strength.  
  
When Akane showed up, he jumped down, and to all's disappointment he took her by the hand and they walked off the school grounds together.  
  
Akane had noticed how Ranma's appearance had affected the students and was looking forward to bringing him in on Monday.  
  
They walked along in silence, enjoying the contact between them. Ranma decided to try to start a conversation. "So, ah, what sssort of books did y-you want to see the doc ab-bout?"  
  
Akane was flustered. "Um. I wanted to see if he had any books about dealing with phobias. I wanted to try and find something that would help you with your fear of cats."  
  
'This is it then,' Ranma thought. "I don't have fffear of c-cats."  
  
"Yes you do..."  
  
Ranma shook his head. "Do you remember mmme telling y-you that my dealings with thhhe Neko-ken were more c-complicated that I originally t-told everyone on my arrival?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And w-what happened afterwards..."  
  
"You went into a coma like state. I thought it was from fear of recounting your past experiences."   
  
"Well it wasn't from fear. I wasss having an arrrgument with my innner demonsss."  
  
"Demons!?"  
  
"That'ss what I call m-my curs-ses." Akane was about to speak when, "I coun-nt the neko-kennn as a curse. Althhhhough it isn't a c-curse but a technique, it behavvves the same in m-my m-m-mind."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, y-y-you know how I exxxplained the cat-t-ts in my vision, well it-t's more like they-y are eat-ting away at the bbback of my m-m-mind, trying to g-get m-my attention. If I do g-g-give it what it w-wants, it sorta tak-kes over my mind. In Neko, my mmmind seems simp-pler, less comp-p-plicated, dimmer thought-t-ts, but most of the t-time my senses are completely bl-locked off. In the girl ffform, I still fffeel hu-uman, but not-t what I knnow human to be, just not riiight. So when I t-turn into the g-girl I prefffer to go Neko to g-g-get away from the aliennn feelings."  
  
"Maybe they are not alien feelings at all. Maybe it is just what it feels like to be a girl. I mean we are built differently, so there's no reason that your girl form should feel the same as your normal self."  
  
"May-ybe."  
  
"And what do you mean by arguing?"  
  
"Aft-ter retelling the st-tory of my lllife, my Neko wanted ouuut for a pl-lay, but up jump-ped girl saying that sheee never get-t-ts a t-turn since Neko tak-kes over, while I d-don't want eitherrr one of thhhem to surffface. So unlike what-t usually hap-pens when I'm trying to ig-g-gnore one at a t-t-time, it took my full concennntration to k-keep them both out of r-r-reach."  
  
"It looked like you were having trouble."   
  
Ranma nodded. "That's why I asked Dr Tofu ifff he knew anything ab-bout Neko-ken and Jusenkyo c-curses. He didn't kn-now anything off hand, but he sssaid he should have found sssomething for me by today."  
  
"You already told him about your problems?!"  
  
"No. I only t-told him that I knew sssomeone who was inflicted by them. I said that I wasss trying to find sssome way to help him."  
  
"Good. For a moment I thought that you confided in him before me."  
  
"No, I haven't yet c-confided in him, but he w-wanted to be kept updated on y-your chi treatment progress."  
  
"No details. What went on between us is for our ears alone."  
  
"We'll see," he teased.  
  
When they arrived, they were escorted straight in to Tofu's office.  
  
"Hello Akane, Ranma. How are you two today?"  
  
"Fffine thanks Doc. Have y-you found anything for my fffriend yet?"  
  
The Doctor's face took on a serious tone. "Yes, but it isn't very pleasant."  
  
"What do y-you mean?"  
  
"Well, to sum it up the Neko-ken training changes the person's soul into one which is part cat. It is irreversible and can lead to mental breakdown. The so called Neko-ken warriors had to endure the soul change and accept it to be able to survive. Only a very few people survived throughout the training, and of those that did even fewer came out of the madness."  
  
Ranma and Akane's eyes opened wide at this statement.   
  
Dr Tofu nodded. "Nasty isn't it. How is your friend coping with it?"  
  
Ranma hesitated, and then said; "He hasn't g-gone insane yet, b-but he continues to t-try to fight it off."  
  
"Tell him that it is the worst thing he could do. He must accept it if he wants to prevent himself from losing his mind.  
  
"However the Jusenkyo curse is something else. The curses are chi based. When someone inflicted by such a curse is splashed by cold water, their chi is manipulated into a different form. The most astonishing thing about it is that their body will physically change to mimic their chi.   
  
"There is no cure for it either." He added seeing the look on their faces. "If there is someone who is inflicted by both and have not come to terms with it I believe they would be in for a hard time ahead of them."  
  
Ranma couldn't say a thing.  
  
"What would happen to them?" Akane asked.  
  
"I believe that fear of the changes may drive the person over the edge, and if the curse is triggered while in that state there may be no recovery since they would not have a familiar body to return their mind to. If such a thing should happen, there is no idea how much damage and harm they could cause."  
  
Ranma's face fell. That was what he had been worried about since he arrived in Nerima. What he had already learned on the road made him dangerous enough, but without control over the Neko-ken he could cause a lot of damage.  
  
The doctor saw Ranma's change in expression, and asked, "Is there something wrong?"  
  
"Y-yeah. I was s-so scared of the c-contact when I g-gave the first shiatsu t-treatment to Akane that I nnnearly lost control of the Neko."  
  
Tofu's eyes opened wide with surprise. "You are the one who has the Neko and Jusenkyo curse?!"  
  
Ranma nodded weakly. "Thhhat's why I s-stutter all the time. I'm always c-concentrating on trying to k-keep the Neko away, and the curse is always nnnagging to get a turn but ifff it does, Neko takes over. So fffar I have had no t-trouble returning after b-beating up my pop because nnnormally he is the one responsible for mmmy change. Nothing b-bad has happened yet but I'm al-lways worried that the Neko will g-go too far and hurt sssomeone badly next t-time."  
  
The doctor's face darkened. "The only way you could stop the Neko from going out of control would be to master it."  
  
"Surrender to the h-higher power," Ranma muttered.  
  
Tofu didn't comment.  
  
"What c-can I do Doc?"  
  
Tofu handed a book he found to Ranma and said, "Take this. You should probably read through the information about the Neko-ken condition, it will help you understand what you are becoming."  
  
Ranma took them reluctantly.  
  
"When you do try to work with the Neko, please do it in a calm environment. It would be best to eliminate any chances of bringing harm to anyone."  
  
"I'll keep an eye on him Dr Tofu," Akane said.  
  
"I said that I wanted to be kept informed on your progress about your chi treatments. I still do, but with this new information, I am more concerned about Ranma's condition. Please keep me updated on anything that happens regarding his cat nature."  
  
"I will," Akane said.  
  
"With that out of the way, how are your chi treatments going?"  
  
Akane smiled. "The first one was incredible."  
  
"Yes, the first one was quite intense. I wouldn't have let Ranma do it if he wasn't your fiancé." He glanced at Ranma. "But I believe it would have brought you both closer together."  
  
"It has," Akane replied. "We wouldn't have come as far as we have without it."  
  
Dr Tofu raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Never mind," Akane muttered.  
  
Ranma coughed, trying to cover up a laugh. 'No details indeed.'  
  
"As for the rest, I have been feeling slightly stronger after each session."  
  
"And she has b-been improving on her sk-kill quite quickly. I think that it is still p-programmed into her b-body, it just c-couldn't k-k-keep it up," Ranma added.  
  
"That's good to hear. Now as you both have a lot of work ahead of you, I should let you go."  
  
"Thankyou once again Dr Tofu," Akane said.  
  
"It was nothing. After all Ranma has done for me, it is I that should be thanking you."  
  
Akane tried to ask what he meant, but Ranma spoke up first. "When are y-you going to act up-pon it?"  
  
"That's the only thing that I still haven't worked up the courage for."  
  
"Why d-don't you come b-by tomorrow?" Ranma suggested. "I'm sssure she'll be p-pleased to see you."  
  
"I'll try," Tofu replied. "Anyway, off with the two of you." He shooed them from his office.  
  
On the way back home Akane asked "What was that about?"  
  
"Kasumi."  
  
Akane didn't understand.  
  
"He wasss h-having trouble whenever Kasumi's nnname was mentioned."  
  
"Yeah I know that, but what about it?"  
  
"Well, he _was_ having t-trouble. He ssshould have it under c-control now."  
  
"That is good news!" Akane exclaimed. "They can get together now. What about us? Have you had any thought about if you are ready for more?"  
  
Ranma was silent for a bit, but then said, "I'll t-try, let's just sssee what happens ton-night. It's j-just like training, if I don't p-push myself I won't g-get anywhere." He turned toward Akane and saw a hurt expression on her face. "That wasssn't meant in a b-bad way. I already kn-now how I feel about you. I just nnneed to get us-sed to expressing it." He took her hand in his and they continued to walk home.  
  
In the dojo, Akane was preparing for her training session, the session where everything she has learned up to date would be put into use.  
  
"Nnnow with the multiple targets, I w-will call out which arm or leg and w-which target I want y-you to hit."  
  
Akane readied herself.  
  
"Rrright arm one, left arm three, right leg six, left arm fffive," he continued.  
  
Throughout the session, Ranma gave advice on how to jump between attacks to make her moves more fluid. He guided her trajectory and foot work as she moved among the targets. In the end Akane found herself attacking with more ferocity than she had ever done before.  
  
"Good," Ranma said. "Now I w-will give you a sssequence and I w-want you to memorise it."  
  
He ran Akane through the steps a few times, and then let her continue on without his instructions. Occasionally she forgot a move and Ranma had to remind her about it. When she had it down correctly and could perform it without errors, he got her started on a new progression.  
  
It took a couple of hours for Akane to learn both fighting sequences, and after which she was thoroughly exhausted. When Ranma called her away from the target circle she was pleased for the finish, but he didn't call for the end.  
  
"Akane, I want you to c-close your eyes and p-picture where the targets are."  
  
She closed her eyes and saw the targets as if she were about to start on the first punch.  
  
"Nnnow start the first progression."  
  
She moved and in her minds eye she hit the targets in the same order as she had earlier.  
  
"Good. Now with y-your eyes open."  
  
Ranma danced around her strikes and feinted with some of his own which barely missed as she moved in for her next target. She finished with both her and Ranma's final strikes leaving them face to face as they followed through with their missed targets.  
  
"G-good," he said as they separated. "Now with the second, and w-watch closely to what I am d-doing at the time."  
  
They squared off once more, and went through with their steps. Akane noticed something familiar about Ranma's movements, she had seen them somewhere before but she couldn't place where.  
  
They pulled apart again and Ranma asked, "What did you nnnotice?"  
  
"Your movements seemed familiar. I can't figure out where I saw them before."  
  
"Try the fffirst sequence ag-gain."  
  
As Akane began to start the first, she realised what Ranma had been doing. She quickly whipped around to look at him, "You were complimenting my movements with the other steps."  
  
"That's right. These were thhhe first t-two katas that pop mmmade me learn. Although thhhere were a few bl-locking steps that I left out, it is essentially the fffirst two of the Anything Goes b-beginner's katas. We will w-work more closely with the k-katas and incorporate the b-blocking skills as we go."  
  
Akane was happy. She could see where Ranma was taking her. He was getting her to develop a skill, put it into action, and then over time put more techniques into it. Unlike how her father taught her years ago, which was just repetitions, and then leaving her to figure out the rest, this will actually improve her skills. This way she will learn different strategies for different fighting conditions which she may come across.  
  
"That's all for t-tonight though." He pulled her down to the mat and worked on her pressure points.  
  
Akane watched him carefully for any sign of change with him holding back on his feelings. She was also thinking of how she could help Ranma come to terms with his inner demons.  
  
"Ranma?"  
  
"Mmmm?" he was finishing up with her back  
  
"Would you let me help you with your troubles?"  
  
Ranma stopped what he was doing and looked Akane in the eyes. "Whhat d-do y-you have in mindd?" he asked nervously.  
  
"Well the Neko and the Girl are now a part of you, and you do need to figure out how they work in order to start accepting them." She paused. "You could let 'the cat' out once in a while, to get acquainted with it. After all that's what Dr Tofu said you needed to do." She silently waited for his response.  
  
Ranma reluctantly agreed. "I-I-I will t-t-try it, but we'll havvve to d-do it slowly. Nothing b-b-big, since g-g-giving in w-willingly is biggg enough as it-t is." Ranma shook anxiously. "I should probably read the books Tofu gave me before I do anything, in case something bad does happen and I can't do anything about it."  
  
Akane reached up and pulled Ranma into an embracing hug. "We'll get you through this, don't worry," she cooed softly into his ear.  
  
Ranma felt a rush of gratitude fall over him as he lay in her arms. He turned his head to look in her eyes, he saw the kindness and love she had for him. Both drew him closer as he initiated the first kiss.  
  
Akane was taken by surprise. This was what she had been waiting for him to do for a while. She pulled him closer put all she had into the kiss. All her cares and worries faded at that moment. The whole world faded around her, nothing else mattered but being with Ranma.  
  
When they finally separated their faces were shining with fulfilment. They both had found what they had been waiting for their whole lives.  
  
Ranma was shaking. He had found more meaning to the act of kissing than he ever thought that there could possibly be. He found himself in a weakened state, he couldn't move, but he had no desire to move from Akane's arms.   
  
Slowly Akane leaned forward for another kiss; he took it up with equanimity. He was lost into oblivion. It was right; there was no other place he would rather be.  
  
Akane let out a sigh if content, and then rested her chin over Ranma's shoulder. "Where do we go from here?"  
  
Ranma didn't know what to do. Every step brought something new to him. "We could c-continue on from where thhhis is heading tonight. T-tomorrow we mmmight be able to p-progress onto what you d-did to me on my first nnnight here."  
  
"Did you see what was going on?" she asked incredulously.   
  
"I got a fffew glimpses," Ranma grinned.  
  
"That's settled then. It will take me a bit of self control to hold back, but this will have to do until then." She playfully rubbed his chest through his shirt as if is she was cleaning him.  
  
Ranma chuckled. "On thhhe other hand, you need a r-real bath!" He stood up and pulled Akane to her feet. "I'll see y-you when you g-get out." They both walked back to the house hand in hand.  
  
While Akane was in the bath, Ranma decided to take out the book Dr Tofu lent him. It was about manifestations caused by chi imbalances. He sat down on the couch and browsed through the contents until he found the chapter regarding the Neko-ken.  
  
He was glad that it didn't say anything about training the dreaded technique otherwise Genma would immediately have his hands on it to try to see where he went wrong. Instead it described the changes it causes the trainee, and what they allow the person to achieve.  
  
The Neko-ken training forces a person to meld their soul with a cat spirit. In most cases it is due to the only means of survival by blending in with nearby cats to prevent hostilities. While the person still remains human, he becomes part cat, and can behave like one at will.   
  
Ranma didn't like what the book was saying; he now had the spirit of part animal. He skipped through to find more on what he was capable of.  
  
When a person with the changed soul behaves in the cat's behalf, their chi alters to mimic the cat. If such a person can project an aura, it would take on the appearance of a large battle cat.  
  
The Neko aura takes up a fair amount of chi to maintain, but when it is held, it can manifest itself as very a powerful weapon. For example; the battle cat's claws, while consisting of an aura, they can cut through practically anything.  
  
That seemed like it could be an interesting skill to be able to use in a battle. He skimmed through the rest and found one line which stood out and promised trouble:  
  
However when a person comes to accept their cat side, the borderline between human and cat becomes indistinct and will start to develop cat traits while in human mode.  
  
'Oh NO!' Was he going to start grooming himself with his tongue? Was he going to start marking his territory? Or was he going to start eating wild animals he catches after prowling the streets at night? It all _was_ a horrible nightmare coming to life!  
  
He slammed the book closed. Would becoming an animal-like-human be better than madness and possibly death? How could anyone accept those possibilities, even for the ability to use the cat fist? He knew from then on that the time ahead of him will be the hardest that he would ever have to face.  
  
When Akane finished in the bathroom she came out to see what Ranma was doing. He quickly pulled her down and held onto her tightly as if it would prevent anything from changing.  
  
Akane didn't know what was wrong, but seeing the look of worry and the book nearby she could tell that it had severely bothered him. She wrapped her arms around him and gently rocked him gently to reassure him that everything would be fine in the end.  
  
___________________________________________________________________  
  
The evening did not come to a close on a happy note. Ranma was deeply subdued by the book's revelations that he barely spoke, and that was only to excuse himself from the table to go and have a bath.  
  
"Akane," Soun asked, "What's bothering Ranma?"  
  
"He went to see Dr Tofu for information about the Neko-ken and Jusenkyo curses. He didn't receive good news. There are no cures for either one."  
  
"What would he want cures for? That ungrateful sod!" Genma bellowed. "After everything I have done to help that boy..."  
  
"Fat lot of help you have given him," Akane interrupted. "Do you have any idea how seriously the Neko-ken affects him? How much it changes him?"  
  
"Now Akane, a true martial artist should be willing to give up anything for the sake of the Arts," Genma lectured.  
  
"You have already made sure his life was given up to the Arts. He has had nothing else..." Akane growled.  
  
"Akane!" Kasumi scolded.  
  
"If you had known what else you had made him give up on, you would have made sure that no one would ever learn the Neko-ken!"  
  
"What do you mean?" Soun asked.  
  
"He is no longer completely human. The training forced him to accept a cat soul to merge with his own."  
  
All the faces around the table blanched at her statement.  
  
"Now you can all continue to entertain this animal here if you wish," she pointed at Genma, "I'm going to check on Ranma!" and she stormed out of the room.  
  
She approached the bathroom door.  
  
*Knock knock*  
  
No one answered.  
  
"Ranma, are you in there?"  
  
There came the sound of moving water. "Yeah," he said in a dreary voice.  
  
"Can I come in?"  
  
"T-tomorrow," he said. "That's if y-you still want to b-be near me."  
  
"That's not what I meant." She opened the door and walked in. sitting down beside the furo, she asked, "Please tell me what's wrong."  
  
He sat with his knees drawn up to his chest and looked down into the water. He did not answer.  
  
"Please let me help you," she pleaded.  
  
"Why d-do you want an-nything to do with me afffter hearing what Dr Tofu sssaid?"  
  
"Because I care about you. Because I love you."  
  
He looked up at Akane as he said, "Even thhhough I'm now part c-cat?"  
  
"Regardless of it. You are still human."  
  
"Not fffor long," Ranma stated.  
  
"W What do you mean?"  
  
"I have to c-come to t-terms with my c-cat side, but the mmmore I do, the mmmore the cat side bl-lends with my human side."  
  
Akane gasped.  
  
"When that h-happens, I will ssstart to d-develop a cat-like p-personality."  
  
Akane tried to cheer Ranma up, she said, "We'll make sure you are house trained if that's what you are worried about." She let out a soft chuckle, but Ranma remained serious.  
  
"I'll be an animal! How c-could you possibly lllove an animal?"  
  
"You won't be an animal. You'll be a man with wild instincts. If anything, that will make you more desirable." She lent closer and being careful not to fall in, she kissed him on the forehead. "Now when you have finished moping in here, come upstairs to my room. I want to continue on from where we left off this afternoon."  
  
She left the room so he could think about what she said. He was going to have a hard time ahead of him and would suffer drastic changes, but she was willing to stick with him regardless of what happened.  
  
Throughout his life he had lacked companionship from fellow people. Now that he had found a friend, he came upon the threat of abandonment because he turned out to be not as he appeared. Finding out that she would not leave him, he was left with one thing he would want to do; stay with her. The alternative would be life as an outcast, a misfit, miserable and all alone.  
  
He was glad to have Akane in his life. Earlier when they kissed he had realised how much he was lacking in life, and how much happiness she could bring to him. He got out of the bath and dried himself off. He put on a clean pair of boxers and a tank top, and then set off to Akane's room.  
  
He found Akane sitting at her desk writing in her diary, already in her pyjamas. When she saw Ranma, she closed her book and walked over to him. She closed the door and pulled him towards the bed.  
  
Before Ranma could say anything, Akane said, "I told myself the night we first met that I would do my best to help you. Now that our relationship is progressing, I shall rephrase my promise to help you through everything that troubles you. I will not let you go, so don't even suggest it!" She clamped her arms around him as she spoke.  
  
"Thankyou." He drew closer to Akane and they shared a brief kiss.  
  
She lifted Ranma's shirt over his head and gently pushed him onto the bed. "Let's get back to where we were." She took off her pyjama bottoms and got into bed next to him.  
  
When they got close enough, they kissed again. This time it was without any hesitation, just pure passion. While they were in the state of bliss, their hands roamed about the other's body, Akane felt the rough scars across Ranma's body, slowly memorising them, while one of Ranma's hands was pulling her higher and closer to him, and the other had found its way up Akane's shirt again.  
  
Akane smiled. "Here," she said, and she slowly unbuttoned her shirt. She shrugged it off and dumped it at the foot of the bed. He lay there transfixed, watching as his hand moved up again as he mapped an image to what his hand had explored the night before.  
  
Finally she turned out the light and pulled up the bed covers. As she drew him in for one last kiss, she said "Goodnight."   
  
Ranma rested his head on her pillow so that their foreheads were touching. "See you sssoon," he said before they both closed their eyes and fell into a deep and peaceful slumber.   
  
________________________________________________________________  
  
Morning came a lot sooner than Ranma wanted. He did not wake in confusion, but tangled in the loving arms of his fiancé. The feeling of warmth from the intimacy they had found that night, and from the skin to skin contact between them told Ranma that this is where he was meant to be. Akane had her legs wrapped around one of his, her arm around his torso and her head on his shoulder. Ranma gently kissed Akane on her forehead then found her lips as she lifted her head up to meet his. Akane's hand moved up behind his head and pulled him tightly into a passionate kiss.  
  
"Wow"  
  
"Please wake me up like that every morning!" She rolled on top of him and lent in for another kiss.  
  
"It's a ssshame that we have to g-get up at all though."  
  
"There's someone who disagrees that I know of," Akane purred, referring to the pressure building up near her abdomen.   
  
Ranma blushed.  
  
"Well we better get up before anything else happens."  
  
They quietly got dressed together, and then went downstairs for breakfast.  
  
"Looks like the steamy couple finally slipped off each other!" perked up Nabiki.  
  
"Shut it Nab!"  
  
"What, you've known each other for six days, and woke up in bed together nearly as many times. You don't seem to want to let him go!"  
  
"Yeah. And he's feels soooo much more comfortable that the television screen who gets hot when you're around." Akane said while she snuggled into Ranma's chest.  
  
Both Nabiki and Ranma's faces flushed bright red.  
  
"And clean the screen when you finish using it Nabiki," Kasumi ordered. "Those smudge marks and fingerprints are always blocking the main part of the screen where all the action takes place."  
  
Nabiki grew redder still, and slowly slid under the table to hide.   
  
"W-where's Pops this morning Kasumi?" Ranma asked.  
  
"He left very early. He said that he has found a well paying job nearby. He should be working there for about a week."  
  
"Don't t-tell me the circus is in t-town!" Ranma said exasperated.  
  
Kasumi nodded. "Yes. He seemed to be thoroughly excited about it."  
  
"Yeah, he usually is w-when he gets p-paid for doing the l-least amount of work. Nnno doubt they would be fffeeding him between tricks he p-performs."  
  
"I believe they usually do. It seems to excite the audience."  
  
"It excites Pop j-just the same."  
  
Kasumi smiled, then handed the couple a packed lunch. "Have a good day you two."  
  
"Where are we g-g-going?" Ranma looked excited.  
  
"The park," Akane replied. "We need the peace that we don't usually get around here. I thought we could make a start on your training among the secluded trees there."  
  
"Oh. At leas-st it will g-give us something else t-to do."  
  
Nabiki's eyes appeared above the surface of the table, her eyebrows disappearing under her hair line. 'Else?' The two left, leaving Nabiki's unasked question unanswered.   
  
_____________________________________________________________  
  
They found themselves a quiet spot in a small clearing amongst the trees. The sun had risen high enough to warm them up a bit after being among the cold shadows.   
  
Ranma spread out a rug which was big enough for the two of them, while Akane set to prepare their first meal for the day. It consisted of a seafood dish with green vegetables. They happily fed each other and shared some of the fruit juices Kasumi had wisely packed, as it was going to be a long day for the two of them.  
  
They enjoyed the quiet time they had together without having to concern themselves with other people around. But when the conversation turned to the reason Akane had brought them out there, Ranma's happy spirits dropped. He had understood Tofu's warnings and what he read about in the book the doctor had lent him. The problem he was now facing was what had been haunting him for the past eight years.  
  
"Ranma, what does it feel like when you drift into the Neko-ken?"  
  
Ranma pondered his answer for a brief moment, "I dunno. Nnnormally I try so hard to k-keep it away that w-when it finally overc-comes me, it is with such ffforce that I have no t-time to notice it.   
  
"When it d-does get control, I fffeel like I am p-pushed aside and have nnno sensory information ab-bout what is going on around me."  
  
"Do you think that it might just feel the same way when you keep it at bay?"  
  
Ranma hadn't thought about it that way. When he loses control, he would struggle and if he could give sound he would scream. If that was how the 'cat' survived, it was no wonder why it was so hard to escape from its clutches. It probably doesn't want to lose control either.  
  
Akane could see Ranma's thoughts by the expressions passing over his face. Seeing him come to a conclusion, she asked, "Is there some way to open up to it and give it some access to the outer world without losing full control?"  
  
"I could p-possibly t-try to release some of my hold over it, b-but that would make it easier fffor it to take over."  
  
"For now, only do it in a calm environment so you can give it all the attention you need to control it if it tries to push you aside."  
  
"Like nnnow?" Ranma asked apprehensively.  
  
Akane nodded. "That's why I chose to come here."  
  
"Okay then. How are w-we going to do this?"  
  
"Come over here." She patted her knees. Ranma moved over and laid back against her as she knelt on the rug. She gently massaged his eyebrows as he lay there.  
  
"What's happening?" Akane asked.  
  
"I r-released my strong hold on it, and at fffirst it was sssurprised. After it took in the sssurroundings it calmed d-down."  
  
"Can you tell if it wants to do something?" She was concerned about the possibility of there being any need for drastic measures.  
  
"This time of mmmorning, I think it j-just wants to lie here and sssoak up the sssun. What you are d-doing to my eyebrows is alssso affecting us b-both; we don't want you to st-top."   
  
Akane smiled down at him. "That is just fine with me," she said, and settled down for a rest while still stroking his forehead.  
  
They remained like that for a couple of hours.  
  
It wasn't until a bird flew overhead when Ranma tensed up.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
Ranma fought down on control over the cat. "I sssaw a bird fffly into the tree. It ssseemed easy enough to c-climb so it wanted to t-try to get it."  
  
"It might be hungry."  
  
"Y-yeah, when ever am I not hungry?" he asked in a mock tone.  
  
Akane set to pull some more food out. When she handed some to Ranma, she asked "How did it feel?"  
  
Ranma took a mouthful and chewed for a moment, then "At-t first I felt relieved. The d-desire to just lie thhhere with no w-worries gave us a sense of p-peace I haven't felt in a long t-time. I didn't have to fight it d-down, nor did I have the d-desire to. It was as though nnnothing could bother us, or cause harm. You were nnnearby so we c-could tell that you were okay."  
  
"Sounds like you were worried about me. Don't you think I could handle myself?"  
  
Ranma felt the hurt in Akane's works, "It's nnnot like that. My c-cat side was just l-looking after its own."  
  
"You don't own me!" Akane spoke up.  
  
"I know that. But from a c-cat's perspective you are a mmmate, and, well, instincts j-just pop up to p-protect its interests."  
  
Akane saw what Ranma was implying, so she quickly urged Ranma to continue on with his description while she was furiously turning red with embarrassment.  
  
"When the b-bird crossed our view, it thought that y-you mmmight be hungry since we c-could have eaten a b-bit more for breakfast, so it tr-ried to start stalking t-towards it. That's when I slammed mmmy hold over it."  
  
"Why? Don't you like wild bird?" Akane teased, but seeing the look of horror on Ranma's face, she dropped her cheer.  
  
"That's one of the thhhings that w-worries me the most about Neko. I know how c-cats behave at nnnight. I don't want to fffind myself bringing in d-dead animals after a night-time hunt."  
  
Akane thought a bit about what that implied. She didn't like the idea of rats being in the mouth that she so liked kissing. "We could try to make sure you don't leave a meal without satisfying your hunger."  
  
"Sssame as you. It wanted to c-catch the bird more for y-your stomach than mine."  
  
She jumped at that revelation. She was pleased that he thought about her in whatever state his mind was in, but would he be upset if she refused the offering? She didn't think she could handle an upset Neko-Ranma.  
  
"We can keep having sessions like this if possible, a few times a day if possible. Hopefully you can train your cat side about what is acceptable behaviour."  
  
Ranma chuckled. "I can just im-magine it. No scratching the chairs, no c-climbing on the fffurniture, no l-leaving hair all over the p-place..."  
  
Akane burst out laughing.  
  
"Is thhhere anythhhing I left out?" he asked.  
  
Akane, while wiping the tears out of her eyes said, "No bringing other cats in the house."  
  
"Hey, y-you're lookin at a one mmmate Tom-cat here." He nuzzled up in Akane's neck. She laughed again when his breath tickled her ear.  
  
"Was that you or the cat's behaviour then? I liked it."  
  
"Um, I thhhink it was the cat." Ranma found this a bit unsettling. He enjoyed it too, but with Akane liking one of his animal instincts that he had been holding back for years, it felt like she was falling for someone else.  
  
Changing the subject, "Here, eat up." He handed her some more food. "Othhherwise that bird has y-your name on it."  
  
Akane dug into her lunch. She wasn't sure if Ranma was joking or not.  
  
When they had both settled their stomachs and had downed more juice, Ranma changed the centre of attention to Akane, "T-time for your tr-raining." They both stood up.  
  
"Today you will l-learn blocking and deflection. Thhhey are the last of the b-basics you should learn."  
  
Akane felt elated at the news. 'No more repetitions!'  
  
"You will be l-learning all of the Anything Goes katas as each one sp-pecialises in different ways of avoiding an opponents attack. You w-will keep doing them while I do the c-compliments. Over t-time it will show how to bl-lock in different circumstances."  
  
'Repetitions indeed! Oh well, at least there would be variations.'  
  
"I'll run you thhhrough the complete fffirst and second katas, and aft-terwards I will use them to c-compliment your moves."  
  
Akane stood back to give him some room. She watched as he performed the familiar moves, but with a few differences among them. Some of the changes looked as though he was sweeping an opponent's strike away while he gave his own attack, other times a solid block with some force behind it to push away the offender.  
  
Akane tried to take in all he was showing her, but when it came down to performing the revised kata, she began to have some troubles.  
  
"You have to p-picture someone c-coming at you with the mmmovements in the sssecond kata."  
  
The problem is that she hadn't fully comprehended the second one either to be able to imagine someone using it against her. "It might be easier for me to remember if you alternated between showing me and allowing me use it against you," she suggested, hoping she wasn't about to bite off more than she could chew.  
  
Ranma thought for a moment, and then he agreed. "It will b-be rough on y-you. I was hoping that if y-you could remember them fffirst, it wouldn't b-be as bad. But if y-you're sure..."  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
"Okay then. You are d-doing the first, I'll d-do the second. If I sssee that you miss your p-part, we'll stop and start fffrom the beginning ag-gain. That is so you learn to k-keep up the sp-peed during combat. There are nnno pauses in a fight that d-do not have their c-consequences." Akane nodded to show her understanding.  
  
"Begin!"  
  
They squared off once again.  
  
Although Akane found it difficult and was winded a fair few times when she forgot the correct moves, she found the training with Ranma quite enjoyable. He was patient with her slow learning abilities, and tried not to put too much force behind his blows when she missed her cue. On top of that he was eager to repeat the demonstration of the kata whenever Akane forgot it, but that was because he had wanted her to get it right before she used it against him.   
  
They continued with the lesson way into the late afternoon. When the clearing was covered in the shadows of the trees Ranma called it to a close. "That's en-nough for today."  
  
Akane was delighted. She enjoyed the activity very much and had made good use of the day, but now she was battered, bruised, and had trouble standing. It was time to pack up and go home. They gathered the rug and put everything back into the picnic basket. When Akane reached to carry the basket, Ranma interrupted her. "Aren't y-you forgetting something?"  
  
Akane looked up at his grin that she was starting to adore, "What?"  
  
He swooped down on her and touched her pressure points to relieve a small amount of her chi blockage. Akane felt a bit more strength reach her limbs, just enough so she could make it home without having to be carried.  
  
"Don't know how I forgot about that," she said to him. "Do you mind if I lean against you while we walk? I am still a bit sore."  
  
"No p-problem." He was hoping to hold her on the way home anyway.  
  
He threw the rug over his shoulder, and took the basket to free Akane's hands so she could hold herself up. He comfortably rested his other arm around her waist and held her close. They slowly made their way through the darkening streets of Nerima and cherished the time they spent together on the way home.  
  
___________________________________________________________________  
  
Kasumi stood at the entrance to the house. "It's getting late; Akane and Ranma should be back by now." Her concern was apparent in her voice.  
  
"Don't worry sis. They're probably enjoying some _quiet_ time together," Nabiki said with a sly grin.  
  
"Oh My!"  
  
"Let them be Kasumi. They seem to be happy with the time they spend together." Soun then turned to a sombre tone, "They don't seem to enjoy spending time with anyone else."  
  
Kasumi recognised the regret in her father's voice. "Yes, I agree. They truly were meant for each other." Because they were separated from companionship with other people from the start, and Soun's failed attempt for making up for his mistakes, they would have had no chance of being with anyone in their lives if it wasn't for the other.  
  
Genma completely missed how they were referring to the damage his plan had caused the two youths. "He's showing initiative. Soon our families will be united, and soon after there would be new heirs for the Anything Goes Martial Arts."  
  
The Tendos completely ignored him. To say the least, Genma was shocked. That normally would have been the cue for Soun to start rambling on about their future plans. 'He must have missed it' thought Genma, so he tried again. "When should we plan the wedding for?"  
  
Soun's answer shook Genma severely. "What wedding?"  
  
"Ranma and Akane's of course!" he said as if it was obvious.   
  
"They haven't told me when they want to get married just yet. They may want to wait for a while."  
  
"What's that got to do with anything? The plan was for them to get married when they were sixteen so they can carry on with the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts."  
  
"That was our plan, not theirs. If they wish to get married soon, it will be on their terms. I do not want to aggravate them."  
  
"You've gone soft Tendo. Where is your backbone?"  
  
"It died many years ago when I listened to you. The outcome had hurt our children in a way that may never be healed." He turned a steely gaze onto Genma, "Why would I want to cause any more trouble for them?"  
  
"For the sake of our future!"  
  
"What about their future? What about what they want?"  
  
"They can deal with that afterwards. After all I have done for that boy, he should show me some respect and help complete my life's dream."  
  
Soun was about to reply but another voice joined in the conversation. "Is Pop b-bothering you Mr Tendo?"  
  
Genma jumped out of his skin! Ranma was right behind him and must have heard the way he was talking about him.  
  
"No, no. He was just getting ahead of himself again."  
  
Lucky for Genma's sake, Ranma was preoccupied. He was still supporting Akane and currently did not want to part with her company.  
  
"Yeah, he tends to d-do that if you l-let him get away with it. You just nnneed to shorten the lead sssometimes to g-get him back in order. Giving him a g-good thrashing sssometimes helps." He gave an evil smile to Genma, and then led Akane out of the room.  
  
When the young couple were out of earshot, Soun made his final word to Genma. "While you're under this roof, you'll remember that I have turned away from your old plan. What I have heard of your treatment to Ranma so far has led me to believe that you care for no one but yourself. If you continue to behave in such a fashion, I will have to ask you to leave."  
  
Genma was taken aback from Soun's words. They were completely unexpected coming from his old friend. 'You have changed,' thought Genma. The man he remembered would have followed him at the drop of a hat. He used to be outgoing and eager to shape his own future. Since when did he worry about what other people thought?  
  
Ranma led Akane into the changing room. After he had closed the door behind them he said, "I can't b-believe that he would be tr-rying to lord his will over us already! I have c-come to like your fffather since I met him; I hope he st-tands up against Pop ab-bout trying to c-control your fffamily. After all I d-didn't come here for him, I was p-pretty sure I made that clear b-before we arrived."  
  
Akane was taken aback by his tone. "Why did you come here then?" she was slightly worried about what the answer might be, but she had to eliminate the seed of doubt.  
  
He turned to look Akane in the eyes, "I c-came here for mmme, and to sssee if there was a chance of a fffuture for both of us."  
  
At his words, relief washed over Akane. "Good answer. Now, are we going to have our bath?"  
  
"Umm," he said sheepishly.  
  
"I'll take that as a yes." She reached over to Ranma and began to undress him before he could say no. She felt the same thrill shiver down her spine as when she had done this before, but this time she had the pleasure of Ranma consciously being with her.  
  
He was overcome with a rush of anxiety when she fumbled with his clothes. He was going to be naked next to her. She had removed his top and his pants were about his ankles after she had yanked them down. As she reached for the elastic of his boxers Ranma thought; 'This is the next big step.'  
  
Down.  
  
As he stood there in her sights, completely bare, he felt a slight flush rise over his face. He noticed that she too was showing signs of embarrassment as she took his hands in her own and brought them up to undo the buttons of her blouse.  
  
When it was off, Ranma gave her a concerned look, she was covered with bruises. He put his feelings aside and said, "I'm sssorry for that, b-but over time you will t-toughen up until little will c-cause you harm."  
  
Akane looked down at herself in shock. 'This will hinder what I had planned for our bath experience. But then again, his tender hands...' Akane's mind wandered off. She was brought back when Ranma started to take off the rest of her clothes in a professional manner.  
  
He led her to the bathroom stool and filled the buckets with warm water. He turned one over her head and began to softly lather the soap over her back. Akane closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of having someone else wash her back. She was thankful that he scrubbed softly around her bruises that so it wouldn't bother her. He moved around to her front and with just as much care washed the rest of her.  
  
She was a bit disappointed with the way he was responding to her, but after he had scrubbed himself he led her to the furo where he dropped his professional manner. He sat down and had her lean against his chest so he could wrap his arms around her. She enjoyed her position and leaned her head back under his chin.  
  
"That was quite a day," she said.  
  
"Mmm. You d-did well, but it will t-take a while for you to get the bl-locking techniques right."  
  
"And you made a start with getting to know Neko. I think it was a pleasant experience out there, you seemed to loosen up and were even softer to cuddle."  
  
"Are you falling in l-love with it?" Ranma's voice had a bitter tone to it.  
  
Akane turned her head to face him. "I _am_ in love with you. You and Neko are the same being."  
  
"B-but lately you have been c-complimenting me on traits that Neko has b-brought."  
  
Akane's face fell. She realised what was bothering him. "I'm sorry about that. But you are still having trouble opening up to me. To your cat side these things must come naturally. Have faith in them because all it has done was break through the wall you have put up against your emotions."  
  
"And g-get your interest," he added.  
  
"Well I have been trying to get your attention. I noticed that you changed your tone when undressing me. It was if I didn't make any affect on you. Do you know how that made me feel?"  
  
Ranma's face fell. "I was w-worried about how I hurt you in t-training. I was trying to control my thoughts so I c-could finish the task at hand."  
  
"I know that you have good control over yourself, but it is too much around me. Please let it down, show me your true feelings rather than the mask you cover yourself with. I need to know how you feel about me."  
  
"I fffeel I need the same thhhing. It's as though y-you love the thing about me that I hate the mmmost."  
  
Akane turned her body around and pressed herself against Ranma. She placed one hand on Ranma's cheek and drew him into a kiss. "I love all of you. Please understand that. If it bothers you so much, show me your true feelings so Neko doesn't overshadow your own."  
  
Ranma looked away in shame.  
  
"Show me now, let me in before you and Neko become indistinguishable from each other. If you don't, you won't know who I am paying attention to when it does happen."  
  
Ranma Squeezed his eyes shut. He hated to be reminded about what he was becoming. What Akane just said replanted the seed of doubt for his future. He needed something solid he could hold onto to keep him away from mental breakdown, but something which he could happily live with. He needed some time alone to think things over. "I'm sssorry. I can't do this at the mmmoment." He left the furo, and closed the door to the change room behind him.  
  
Akane was upset. She really did love him and needed his love in turn, but she had been constantly reminding him of the Neko-ken all day. While she was only trying to help him, she had inadvertently talked about the thing that bothered him the most. She drew her knees up to her chest and cried to herself. "Oh Ranma, please forgive me."  
  
When she got dressed and came out of the bathroom, she looked around the house for Ranma. She found him outside on the rock by the koi pond. He was on his knees and looking up at the moon.  
  
Akane slowly walked toward him. "Ranma..."  
  
He didn't respond.  
  
She stretched her arm out and gently placed in on his shoulder to get his attention. She was just about to apologise, but when her hand made contact, he bounded away and leapt high over the roof, onto the other side where Akane couldn't see him.  
  
Akane wasn't going to let him get away that easily before she tried to make it up with him. She grabbed a ladder nearby and with great effort made her way onto the roof.  
  
When she had climbed over the apex and saw Ranma, she made her way towards him. When he heard her approach, he turned around on all fours and made an animalistic growl from deep in his throat.  
  
Akane stopped in her tracks, she recognised that stance. He was using it when he first arrived a week ago. He was in the Neko-ken.  
  
Ranma thought he had offended Akane by walking out like that, but he really needed to think things through by himself. It was that cursed Neko! It always came up! Why couldn't he just get away from it and all the problems that came with it?  
  
He dropped his guard and tried to talk with the Neko. 'Why do you always have to interfere?' He did realise that he couldn't escape from it. It will always be with him whether he wanted it or not.  
  
He sighed and looked up at the moon. 'Would it really be that bad merging with you? At least then she would love me...'  
  
At that moment his guard dropped further and the Neko was able to reassert control over its body. But unlike before, Ranma was so unaware of the change while looking at the sky, Neko decided to let him keep the use of his senses, after all he had done the same earlier in the day.  
  
Neko was disturbed about something. Some creature had caused it harm, some creature that it had thought trustworthy. It read some images from it's 'other' self. It recognised a face of the one which caused it anguish. She was the one who had laid with it in the sun, its mate. It was best to keep away from its mate for a while until Mate showed signs of friendliness again.  
  
Neko continued to gaze up at the night sky, taking in the serenity of the silence that usually came with it.  
  
It sensed a presence approaching. It was its mate. Not knowing what Mate's intentions were when it touched, Neko moved away and jumped up high for a bit more time-out, but soon Mate came near again. To warn Mate that it was ready to deal with any hostilities, Neko turned and growled.  
  
Akane fell to her knees, sobbing over what she had done and Ranma's response to her. "Ranma," she pleaded. "Ranma please forgive me. I didn't mean to upset you. I just want you to show me how you feel."  
  
Neko, not understanding a word of what Mate was saying, let its 'other' self hear her sounds. Neko sensed no hostilities so it let its guard down and stopped growling.  
  
Akane noticed the change of Ranma's attitude, and hesitantly called him over.  
  
'Go on' Neko's 'other' self urged. Neko sensed the feelings of safeness from inside so it slowly stalked towards its mate. Coming up next to Mate and still sensing no hostilities, Neko sat down and leant across to nuzzle with her.  
  
Akane was taken aback by Ranma's sudden change in attitude. When he came closer she didn't know what he was doing, until he cuddled up with her. She brought her arms around him and held on tightly while she silently wept into his shoulder.  
  
Neko could tell that Mate was upset, but not angry with it, so it decided to stay with her for a while.  
  
Akane kept her firm hold of him for around an hour before she began to feel cold and hungry. Neko noticed this so he twisted out of Akane's arms and picked her up by biting into the collar of her dressing gown, and lightly leapt down to the backyard.  
  
Akane was a bit shocked at Ranma's sudden movement and had to hold on to her gown to stop her from falling out of it. She was a bit disoriented when she found herself on the ground again, but when she looked around she saw Ranma about to catch the koi from the pond.   
  
"No!" she shouted.  
  
Ranma looked up in mid poise.  
  
"Come inside. I'm sure they left us something to eat." She beckoned him to follow.  
  
Neko looked at Mate for a moment, then down at the juicy meal. 'Why didn't Mate want the fish?' Neko looked back up at Mate, where she was still calling him away from the water, and meowed.  
  
"Come on Ranma. Come inside."  
  
Neko's 'other' self was screaming at it to follow Mate inside. 'She dislikes fish' the other urged, trying to get Neko away from the water and the possibility of chewing on the gold fish. Eventually Neko moved away from the pond and followed Mate inside.  
  
Akane dug through the fridge for the remains of dinner, hoping there was enough to fill Ranma's stomach so he won't try to catch the koi. She loaded all she could find onto a large plate and warmed it up in the microwave oven. While it was heating she looked down at Ranma's puzzled face and smiled. "We can eat very soon Ranma."  
  
When the microwave finished and beeped, Neko was startled. Akane chuckled at Ranma's hair standing on end, well, his pigtail. It waved in the air as he arched his back and edged sideways into the kitchen to see what the noise was.  
  
She took the food out and brought it to the dining table. She was about to offer Ranma some chopsticks when she realised the predicament she was in. Ranma couldn't use them while he was in Neko.   
  
While she tried to figure out how to deal with the situation, one of the less wanted solutions showed itself; Ranma sniffed at the food and then started to eat straight off the plate.  
  
She was about to pull him back and tell him off, but what else could she do? She shrugged her shoulders and started to pick some food from the side of the plate with her chopsticks and ate with him.  
  
When they had cleared the plate, both of their stomachs were full. Akane took the plate to the sink and cleaned up after their meal. She was happy to note that Ranma had followed her around the kitchen while she was doing so.  
  
When she was finished, she led Ranma up to her room. She closed the door after he entered, and began to untie the belt on her dressing gown. She was wearing nothing underneath it and was hoping to call Ranma back into control over the Neko, but saddened when she saw that he had already fallen asleep above the covers, fully clothed.  
  
"Oh well," she said to herself and retied the belt. With much effort she pulled the blanket out from underneath Ranma and got into bed, covering them both up. She wrapped her arms around him and whispered "I hope you are back to normal in the morning Ranma," and drifted off to sleep.  
  
On the other side of the bed Ranma was pleading to Neko 'Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep! We don't need anything to happen tonight!'   
  
He had to talk about a few things with Akane in the Morning when he gained control again. He could have taken control easily, but he and Neko had come to a truce. Since Ranma had lowered his hold over Neko, Neko had done the same for him. The experience was much better than being in a completely isolated prison, and he didn't want to go back to that. Also he could guide Neko in a way so that nothing bad would happen, like what might of happened that night; Neko knew there was little covering over its mate, and could smell how eagerly she was waiting for him.  
  
When Ranma heard Akane's breathing slow along with Neko's, he could relax. Eventually his consciousness drifted off to what Ranma could only assume was Neko's dreams; catching the large fish from the pond for Akane, wrestling in long grass with Akane, and doing things with her that would have gone ahead if he hadn't put his foot down at bedtime. That last dream had affected both Neko and Ranma, and had followed them into the early dawn.  
  
___________________________________________________________________  
  
When Ranma woke, he had control of his body once more. He pulled Akane closer to him in a warm embrace which Neko was unable to do previously. The smell of her hair reminded him of the dream he and Neko shared for most of the night. He became aroused.  
  
"Mmmm, I want that," Akane murmured. She had woken when Ranma pulled her closer, and had felt his rising member pushing into her through their clothing. She snaked her hands down under the blanket and into his boxers, feeling it throb in her clutches.  
  
Ranma moaned, but then took control of himself. "W-wait."  
  
"Hmm?" Akane peeled her eyes away from what she was doing to look up into his eyes.  
  
"W-we should wait at l-least until we are married before we go any further. In case something c-comes up of it," he added. On the road he learned that he should take responsibility for everything that he does, and the consequences. "After all I do know what nnnearly happened last night."  
  
Akane blushed. "I'm sorry. After I upset you I thought I could make it up to you, but then you went Neko. I thought I could calm it down enough so you could gain control again."  
  
Ranma heard the sincerity in her voice and believed her. "N-neko and I have come to an understanding with each other last night. I have agreed not to take over it and it would do the sssame for me, if we lower our hold over the other so we both know what is going on around us."  
  
"And you are not stuttering as much! That's good news."  
  
"There's still the 'g-g-girl' to contend with. So I am not out in the clear yet."  
  
"Don't worry. Just take one step at a time."  
  
"I will. And I too am sorry for walking away from you like that. You were only trying to h-help me after all."  
  
"It's alright. I was pushing you a bit too much..."  
  
"But now that Neko and I are t-talking, I will sometimes be influenced by its thoughts. Although I don't like the idea of it, it was how I managed to get Neko to follow you last nnnight."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"I'll tell you what though, this thought sharing also spanned to dreams."  
  
"Tell me about them," Akane said, thoroughly interested.  
  
Ranma smirked, "Well remember how it nearly c-caught the koi for you?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"In its dream it gave the fish to you, and you both munched on it t-together."  
  
Akane shivered at the thought of fish guts pasted over her face while guzzling down on the rest.  
  
Ranma noticed her reaction. "Careful Akane, you mmmight insult us."  
  
She looked up at him with worry. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." she broke off at the sight of Ranma trying to hold back his laughter.  
  
"You really thought I was serious! Ha! I wouldn't let it get anywhere near doing something l-like that if I can help it."  
  
Relief washed over Akane's face. "That's good to hear. What else was there?" she may as well humour him while he was in a good mood.  
  
"There was a dream where we were p-playing in long grass together..."  
  
"Sounds kinda kinky."  
  
"Oh yeah? The rest of them were based around what could have h-happened if I didn't make it go to sleep. It could tell you weren't wearing anything under your r-robe, and of how your body was reacting when you t-took us to your room."  
  
"You knew?!"  
  
"Yeah, its sssenses are much stronger than mine."  
  
"I have got to be more careful in the future then."  
  
"That would be good," he agreed. "Now as for the future, when should we get mmmarried?"  
  
"As soon as possible," Akane said while snuggling into him.  
  
"Good, we can talk to the pops about it later."  
  
"What should we do 'til then?"  
  
"This..." and Ranma gently kissed her.  
  
_________________________________________________________________  
  
"Oh good morning Akane, good morning Ranma," Kasumi cheerfully greeted them when the entered the family room. "How did you sleep?"  
  
"Very well thankyou Kasumi," Ranma replied.  
  
Kasumi was starting to prepare breakfast. "I was going to ask if you found your dinner last night. I made sure some was left for you before you got home from the park. But from the looks of how empty the fridge is now I can assume you ate well."  
  
"Yeah, Akane was so hungry she nearly ate the k-koi," Ranma teased while softly elbowing her in the ribs.  
  
"Oh dear, I will make more for dinner tonight if that is the case. Akane, you shouldn't eat the koi, it's not very good for you."  
  
Akane was red with embarrassment. "Ranma wanted to share it with me, how could I refuse his generosity?" She and Ranma locked their eyes on each other and broke into a fit of laughter.  
  
Soon Nabiki came down the stairs, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "What's with all the noise?"  
  
"We were making dinner p-plans..." Ranma replied.  
  
"But I don't think your palate would be able to handle Ranma's taste," Akane finished off.  
  
Kasumi, seeing the humour in the conversation joined in with the couple's laughter.  
  
Nabiki's jaw dropped. She had never seen her sisters act like that before. She thought something must be going on. She decided to do a bit of digging later.  
  
Soon the whole family was down at the table, engorging in Kasumi's excellent meal, but everyone stopped mid bite when Akane spoke.  
  
"Pop, how soon can I get married to Ranma?"  
  
Soun choked on his breakfast. He was surprised that he didn't have to bring it up first. "Um... 'cough'... When would you like it to be?"  
  
"As soon as we can. We don't need anything big, it's not as if there are many people that we'd like to come," she said while looking at Ranma, he silently agreed.  
  
"Well, I'll make some calls today and find out when a Shinto priest is available."  
  
"Good. While you're doing that, we can go and see Dr Tofu."  
  
Nabiki cracked a toothy grin, "Ah so that's why you're so keen on tying the knot. A bit too much excitement last night huh?"  
  
Ranma was starting to get a bit annoyed at Nabiki's comments. He thumped the table lightly, causing Nabiki's drink to topple over into her lap. Akane smirked as she watched her sister jump out of her seat.  
  
"For your information Nab, Ranma went Neko last night, so you shouldn't provoke him."  
  
Nabiki stopped jumping immediately.  
  
"The doctor asked to be kept updated on Ranma's encounters with the Neko." She turned back to face Ranma, "But then again it wouldn't hurt to be prepared for our wedding night. Thanks for the idea Nabiki."  
  
"Oh my. You shouldn't. You're too young," cried Kasumi.  
  
"Let them be 'cough' Kasumi. I'm sure that they will act responsibly. They had to mature early due to the way we brought them up." He looked seriously at Ranma, "Please think things through carefully before you two do anything rash."  
  
Ranma bowed his head to Soun. He didn't want to disappoint the man who had befriended him. "D-don't worry, we will be mindful of what our actions may b-bring."  
  
Ranma decided to change the subject. He saw the look on his father's face and said, "Yo Pops! How was the shhhow last night? Did you trip over anything and get the whip?"  
  
Genma was preoccupied with the news of his life dreams coming to reality. He was roused when Ranma gave him a swift kick and sent him tumbling into the pond, where he resurfaced as a panda.  
  
"Come on, show us a fffew tricks..."  
  
Over at Tofu's clinic, Ranma told the doctor about his experiences with the Neko-ken, excluding the contents of his dreams of course.  
  
"So you are in contact with it now?" he asked.  
  
"Yes. All I receive from it is animal instincts and fffeelings, but the point is clear."  
  
"That's quite interesting," the doc mused.  
  
"And it was the sssame for me when it was in control. I had to tell it how to behave."  
  
"It understood you?"  
  
"Well if it d-didn't at first, I shouted at it until it did."  
  
"I'm surprised you have made so much progress after one day. All I can say is keep it up!"  
  
"Thanks Doc. Say how did you and Kasumi go on y-yesterday. No one mentioned anything..."  
  
Tofu looked down. "That would be because nothing happened. I couldn't muster up the courage to come over."  
  
"Oh. Well we are getting ma-arried soon. When we find out the date, we would like to c-come."  
  
"You haven't set a date?"  
  
Ranma and Akane looked at each other, and then Akane answered, "We wanted to get married as soon as possible. Pop is now finding out when a priest would be available."  
  
"Oh," Tofu was surprised at how eager the two were to wed. He didn't want to be the one to bring this up, but as the family doctor it was his responsibility. "How far has your relationship developed?"  
  
Both Ranma and Akane's faces turned red.  
  
'That was as good as any answer' the doctor thought. "I see. Then if you are not ready for children I think you should start looking into birth control."  
  
Their faces went redder still.  
  
The doctor chuckled at their reactions. "I'll give you some pamphlets for you two to read so I wont have to embarrass you any more." He opened a filing cabinet and took some booklets out. "Here, read through these and come back when you have decided what you want to do."  
  
"T-thanks Doc," Ranma muttered as he hastily took the pamphlets and hid them deep down in his pocket.  
  
"Anytime," the doctor cheerfully said as he waved them out of his clinic.  
  
"What should we d-do now?" Ranma asked Akane as they walked down the street hand in hand.  
  
"We could go to the park and train," she suggested.  
  
"Um, I'd rather not go back there for a while. I might get the urge to catch the b-b-birds...."  
  
Akane laughed. "No, I don't think you'd like that. The thought of you eating the koi last night..."  
  
"Don't remind me," he muttered. In a more cheerful note he said, "We could train in the dojo. That way we could get the updates on our wedding when sssomething comes up."  
  
"Good idea. But first let's go and get some ice-cream to celebrate."  
  
"Sure, b-but what's ice-cream?"  
  
"What?!" Akane was stunned. "You don't know what ice-cream is?"  
  
Ranma shook his head.  
  
"No, I guess being on the road you didn't get much opportunity to indulge on desserts. I guess this would be a real treat for you. I'm sure you'll like it."  
  
She led him to the ice-creamery and sat him down at a table. "Wait here, I'll bring you back a surprise," and she stepped up to the counter.  
  
When she returned she had a large banana split serving for two. It was covered in chocolate sauce and sprinkled with chopped nuts. When she placed it on the table, Ranma's mouth fell open.  
  
"I thought you would like this. I got a double serving so we could share it." She picked up a spoon, scooped up some ice-cream and fed it to Ranma. His eyes opened up with delight.  
  
"Mmmph! Dis iths fery ood!"  
  
Akane smiled. "I thought you'd like it."  
  
Ranma swallowed. "It's great!"  
  
"Here, have some more." She scooped up some banana and sprinkles for him.  
  
"Mmmm!"  
  
Ranma picked up the other spoon and served some to Akane. "Nod doo muth!" she tried to say, her cheeks bulging with ice-cream and banana. She heaped up more on her spoon and shoved it into Ranma's laughing maw.  
  
"Oobf! Wadth id!"  
  
"How do you like it then?" Akane said as though she had gotten the upper hand.  
  
"I wuvd id!" he worked out while finishing off his mouthful. "Here have some mmmore."  
  
They continued on until the bowl was empty. When Ranma picked it up and started to lick the bowl clean, Akane became embarrassed, but before she tried to stop him, he started to purr. "What are you doing?" she whispered urgently.  
  
"Hmm?" he sounded and looked up at her mid lick.  
  
She chuckled. "The cat that got the cream huh." Ranma shrugged and finished off with the bowl.  
  
When he had finished Akane leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. "Neko has got to work on its table manners," she whispered in his ear.  
  
Ranma continued to purr and nuzzled back to Akane. "Sorry, but it was sooo good!  
  
"Glad you liked it, but come on. Let's go home."  
  
"Good news. The priest can be here on Tuesday," Soun told them as they came through the door.  
  
Both Akane and Ranma beamed at him.  
  
"Now that's settled, there are a few other things that will need your attention. First of all, which family name would you two like to be known by?" Soun hoped for Akane to keep her name, but he wanted them to make the decision. "The second thing is do you want to move into the same room, or should I say which room as you have already been sleeping together for a while. And third is do you want to go on a honeymoon, and if so where would it be? You can think about it for a while, I just need to know before the big day."  
  
"We do have a lot to t-talk about. Shall we?" Ranma gestured up the stairs.  
  
"Yeah. We can practice tomorrow."  
  
They both walked upstairs and into Akane's room. "So what do you thhhink?" Ranma asked.  
  
"I have been thinking about that for a while now. I have been picturing myself becoming a Saotome for a few years already. Besides I have two sisters who can keep the Tendo name going."   
  
"That sounds pretty g-good. I wouldn't have had any problems becoming a Tendo. It would have r-really upset my pop, but that's a petty excuse isn't it. Okay, Saotome it is then. As for the bedroom, I don't mind being in h-here."  
  
"There won't be any room for your stuff in here. The room you have is much bigger; we should probably go in there."  
  
"Won't you miss this room? You have b-been in here for a while."  
  
"I have thought of that, but I'm moving on. It's time for a change."  
  
"Honeymoon?"  
  
"Yes. Time alone with you somewhere else. I haven't been anywhere though so I don't have any ideas."  
  
"We could go on a training trip. I know of a good place u-up in the mountains. Pop and I went there before we went to china."  
  
"But what if it rains? Your curse..."  
  
"There are some hot springs there so I can change back if I nnneed to. As for Neko, it is a nice quiet p-place where we can relax when not training."  
  
"Then can I assume that there are no general stores nearby."  
  
"None whatsoever! It will be out in the middle of nnnowhere."  
  
"Then we should go through those pamphlets and prepare for our wedding night," she said while patting his thigh.  
  
"Um, Yeah."  
  
__________________________________________________________________  
  
Author's notes  
  
I wasn't sure if I should post this story until I had finished. But I find it irritating when I start reading a long story and find out that it has much more to go on with.  
  
I haven't been in the fanfic link for long, but after the few I have read I decided to try one myself. I was up all night before an early morning at uni thinking of ideas that I haven't seen yet. Somehow I stumbled onto this-   
  
I'll try my best to keep other people's ideas out of it.  
  
This being my first fanfiction, I was encouraged to post it when I described what I had written to Kung_lou with his comments of it being cliché.  
  
Thankyou for all the reviews that have been sent, you have proved Kung wrong! 


	4. New Experiences

The Sacrifice  
  
Chapter 3 – New Experiences

* * *

Dinner past by with a cheerful note, Akane and Ranma sat very close together and were deeply involved in their own conversation, and everyone else was talking about the oncoming wedding.  
  
Later that night when everyone was going to bed, Ranma and Akane were wrapped up in each other's arms and were having their final words for the evening.   
  
"Only one more day to go, and after that things will change."  
  
"And fffor the best of course."  
  
"Yet things will be different for us tomorrow; you're coming to school with me."  
  
"Great," muttered Ranma. "I haven't been to school for at l-least three years, and I never looked forward to it then."  
  
"Don't worry. You will have me there, and you can brighten up my day. I can parade you around in front of everyone. This is going to be so much fun. Did you see how everyone reacted when you picked me up?"  
  
"Yeah, and I d-don't think I am going to ennnjoy it too much. The girls ssseemed as though they were ready to steal away with me, and the guys didn't seem to l-like me. I think that I would be g-getting more attention than I would l-like to have."  
  
She waved his last comment away. "Anyone who would likely try to do anything about you would be a push over. I mean I've been fighting with them for the past year, in my weakened condition too!"  
  
"Y-you have? How many are there?"  
  
"Almost every boy in the school."  
  
"That's incredible! Have you been improving since we started training?"  
  
"Yeah, a little. But since they all attack me at once, there was little need to aim properly. I mean when I hit one, they fall back taking out several more."  
  
"That's beside the p-point. It makes you become sloppy if you fffind no challenge in it."  
  
"Hmph!"  
  
Ranma chuckled. "D-don't worry. I'll reserve judgement 'til after I see y-you in action. Then I can remedy anything I can see you do wrong during the lunch break."  
  
"That's fair. But enough of that." She drew him in for a passionate kiss, and held him tightly. "Time for us to get some sleep."  
  
"You t-tease," he mumbled.

* * *

When morning came, Ranma was spry on his feet and ready for an early workout before breakfast. Akane was grumbling and wanted to be back in bed where it was warm, but he wouldn't allow it.   
  
"This is a p-part of your training. You should b-be ready to fight at the drop of a hat. Who says that you would only nnneed to defend yourself d-during the day? When training I fffound that most attacks came during the night when I would b-be less attentive."  
  
Akane muttered something unintelligible but continued to follow Ranma's lead as they ran around the neighbourhood.  
  
They got back to the house as Kasumi started to make breakfast. When she saw the two enter, she said "You two should go and get cleaned up. Breakfast will be ready in half an hour."  
  
"Thhhanks Kasumi," Ranma said cheerfully, while holding Akane up preventing Akane from dropping on the floor with exhaustion.  
  
He dragged her off to the bathroom and Kasumi could make out Akane's words of "Slave driver".  
  
When they came back out in fresh clean clothes, the rest of the household were awake and Breakfast was being laid out at the table.  
  
"Good timing Sis," Nabiki called. "You're not usually this late. Did Ranma work you hard?"  
  
"Ten kilometres!" she gasped.  
  
Nabiki was shocked. She didn't realise how hard Ranma would be pushing her so early in the morning.  
  
"Pretty soon you'll be doing twenty," Genma said. "In fact I'm surprised you didn't do it this morning."  
  
"She already d-does a lot in the mmmorning before school starts. I have yet to evaluate how much she's cut out to do, and I w-wanted to see how well she p-performs against half the school's population as she was boasting last night," Ranma answered.  
  
Genma nodded. "That's fair, as long as you keep her working at it throughout the day."  
  
"That is the p-p-plan."  
  
Akane face faulted into her breakfast at the news of more work.  
  
"Don't worry y-yourself Akane; I'll mmmake sure that you have plenty of energy for tomorrow," Ranma assured her.  
  
"Speaking of which," Soun said. "Have you two thought about those things I asked you?"  
  
"Yep. Akane wants to b-become a Saotome..."  
  
"Oh course she does!" Genma spouted.  
  
Ranma leered at his father, "I would have been j-just as happy to become a Tendo Pops!" Back to Soun, "The room you ssset me up in is bigger thhhan Akane's, so we should p-probably move into there. And as for a h-honeymoon, I thought I could t-take her on a training trip."  
  
"Sounds like you have done a lot of thinking there Ranma," Nabiki irked.  
  
"Hey! Akane mmmade the d-d-decisions. In fact I suggested the alternatives, b-but the idea of going on a training t-trip was mine."  
  
"Where are you planning on going?" Soun asked.  
  
"I was thinking of t-taking her up the mountain pass that we w-were at before we went to China." He nodded towards Genma. "We would nnneed at least a week if we are to g-get anything done after travel."  
  
Soun became a bit worried for Akane's safety. She hadn't been out on a training trip before, and to be so far away from any help...  
  
Seeing the look on his friend's face, Genma reassured him "Don't worry Tendo. Ranma can handle that place very well. In fact he had to help me up there, and he was only, what, ten at the time."  
  
Soun lightened up. "I'm sure they'll have fun."  
  
"Yeah," Nabiki added in a dreary voice. "No one to hear them scream as they make ou.."  
  
"Nabiki!" Kasumi stopped her from finishing, but the implication was got across.  
  
Akane got huffily out of her seat, "Let's go Ranma."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Kasumi got up too and handed them their lunches before they forgot.  
  
"Thanks Kasumi," Akane said.  
  
"Yeah, thanks a l-lot," Ranma said, before they left the house.

* * *

On the way to school they walked side by side. Ranma noticed some other students walking from other directions. "W-why don't you w-wear a uniform?"  
  
"Every morning when all the boys challenge me for a date, I caught some of them perving up my dress when I kicked their heads in, and so I had to kick them some more while they were passed out. It ruined my best time records," Akane growled.  
  
"That's g-good then." He jumped high up onto the fence beside their path.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Since you're nnnot wearing a dress to worry about anyone looking, you c-can do some balance p-practice. Come on, get up h-here!"  
  
"You expect me to be able to jump up there?"  
  
"Sssure."  
  
Akane's face went red. "Um, I can't jump that high."  
  
"Oh." He leapt back down, and before Akane could react, he bounded back onto the fence bringing her with him. "Now you c-can try it."  
  
Akane looked down at the narrow fence that they were somehow standing on. It seemed way too narrow to possibly get any balance. Unfortunately her eyes then focussed on the ground much further away. "Waaa!" she screamed as she felt herself lose balance and start to fall.  
  
Ranma caught her and lifted her back in place. "Was that fffun?" he teased.  
  
"N-no!" she whimpered and clung tightly onto him.  
  
He laughed. "Don't p-pay attention to the ground. Only concentrate on the fffence. The ground has no r-relevance to us up here. Come on, try again."  
  
"Just don't let me fall."  
  
He held onto her shoulders and she slowly let go of him. "Just take one st-tep at a time and you will b-be fine."  
  
They walked up on the fence for the rest of the block. Akane stumbled many times and Ranma caught her. Soon she began to find it easier after every time he righted her back on the fence, but she was a long way from walking it without help.  
  
When they were back on the ground Ranma told her that they would be doing that every morning until she can do it herself. She didn't take it very well.  
  
After a few more blocks they approached the school. The gates were blocked by a large gathering of boys waiting for Akane's arrival. "Okay, your fans are here. Let's see y-you in action."  
  
"Just watch me, its so much fun!"  
  
Akane charged into the crowd which had gathered at the gates of Furinkin High School. Boys went flying into the air as Akane belted into them, handing out nasty presents to the crowd. Akane punched, swept, elbowed, spin kicked, and threw the crowd of horny teens with such passion that Ranma realised how lucky he was to have such a brute for his companion; she didn't hold back when she was having fun!

When the school yard was littered with the entire crowd, knocked out and lying in awkward positions, Akane checked her watch. "Twenty three seconds! A new record!" Akane cheered.  
  
Ranma walked over to her. "Very immmpressive." Ranma beamed at her. "But nnnow that your chi is getting stronger, you must put our practice lessons into action; st-top using so much force behind your blows, and instead focus on where y-you are aiming. Then you could do this in mmmuch less time and have more energy left afterwards."  
  
"I still have plenty in reserves. I save that last bit for the most annoying one here," gesturing to a tall boy garbed in a blue robe, and possessing a wooden sword.  
  
"Love, Lust, they have lost again. These fools who lie before us do not grasp the truth; that your eyes lie on me alone." He spouted this in a tone as though confessing to someone who cares.  
  
"Only when I need to be sick, but you do a very good job at it."  
  
"Me thinks doth protest too much! As you seem to try to impress me with your grace every time we gather before the gates."  
  
"Ranma, leave him to me."  
  
"Are you sssure?"  
  
"Yeah. Besides you've got Genma to kick around, here's my someone."  
  
Kuno saw the two talk quietly to each other and smile, he became extremely jealous. He, the Blue Thunder of Furinkin High, had spoken words of his undying love for the girl many times, and a new boy was speaking with her in a way that Kuno had never achieved. "DIE YOU FOUL CREATURE. HOW DARE YOU TALK TO MY BELOVED AKANE!"  
  
Ranma saw the lunatic charging toward him, waving his sword. He ducked, jumped, and dodged around the waving stick, laughing. This infuriated Kuno, and he started taking wilder and swifter strikes.  
  
Ranma flipped around the courtyard dodging Kuno's strikes, thoroughly enjoying himself as if he were on a carnival ride. "You're rrright! He is fun to p-p-play with!"  
  
Akane stared in awe at Ranma's speed, and yet he was doing it so calmly, and without effort. "Okay Ranma. You can have him. I think he's fallen for you!" she joked. "Just remember to give me a turn with the panda!"  
  
Ranma hooted at Akane's words, jumped clear of Kuno, and stood still. Kuno still on the offensive raised his sword for one last powerful blow which should finish the boy off, and...  
  
The sword shattered in kuno's hands upon impact with Ranma!  
  
Kuno stared dumbstruck at what he was seeing. His bokken had disintegrated in his hands, from a strike that would have impaled his toughest practise targets. Yet he was looking back unhurt, and still grinning at him.  
  
Ranma walked closer to Kuno (who was mouthing silent words) and pat him on the shoulder. "Yeah I kn-now it's tough when you fffind out that you hav-ven't got a chance." He continued chuckle as he walked back to Akane, who after seeing the look on Kuno's face, fell about laughing too. They linked arms for support and walked in through the school gates with glee.

* * *

When they walked into the classroom, a great hush followed as every eye turned to Akane, walking in with a stranger while they were sharing a joke. More to their surprise, the stranger sat next to Akane and they continued on the conversation.  
  
A moment later the teacher walked in.  
  
He took a look at the roll, and exclaimed "Ah. We have a new student with us. One named Ranma Saotome.  
  
Ranma payed very little attention to the other students. He just waved his hand half-heartedly.   
  
The class was in shock. He behaved just like Akane usually does. A low murmur filled the room with noise as the students whispered to each other of their suspicions concerning Ranma. "Who is he? Is he related to Akane?"

* * *

A shout sounded from down the corridor.   
  
"HE'S HER FIANCE?"  
  
Apparently Nabiki sold the information to Kuno for a nice swab of money.   
  
"NO! I WILL NEVER ALLOW IT!" he shouted, and ran down the hall.

* * *

The door in Ranma's new classroom burst off its hinges as Kuno charged through.  
  
"How dare you come here and take my sweet Akane away from me, you common thief!" Kuno waled.  
  
"L-leave us alone Kuno" Ranma said calmly.  
  
"Never! I'll never let you take Akane to force into your foul needs!" he shouted back.  
  
"D-d-do you still remember what hap-pened to your bokken this mmmorning? That was without m-me moving. You d-don't want me to cause you injury." Ranma warned.  
  
At this stage the class were all on the edge of their seats, curiously awaiting what was to happen next.  
  
Kuno shouted more. "You scoundrel! Akane would never succumb to your desires! You are a treacherous swine!"  
  
Ranma slightly annoyed with this madman, got up, grabbed Kuno by his collar, and from everyone's perspective, promptly vanished from the classroom. Then a loud crash sounded from the courtyard outside.  
  
Akane jumped out of her seat and ran outside to see what was going on. What she saw was highly amusing. Ranma had fallen into Neko-Ken and was playing with his prey.  
  
Kuno was tied to a rope hanging from the flagpole, dangling and swinging around while Ranma was happily pouncing around trying to swat him. As Kuno swung back, Ranma crouched in anticipation, ready to spring for another grab.   
  
Ranma caught his play toy with his teeth, and tried to pull him away. The rope still tied to Kuno pulled the top of the flagpole over into an extreme spring trap. Ranma shook him around violently, and Kuno's robes ripped. He shot up into the air, and upon reaching the rope's tether, was jerked back down again, into the awaiting paws of Ranma.  
  
"Ranma" Akane called, patting her knee. "Come here Ranma, come here boy."   
  
Dropping what he was doing, he happily bounced over to Akane and rubbed up against her leg. She took Ranma's arms and pulled him upright. Snuggling around her neck he said with contentment, "You're right. He is so fun to p-play with!"  
  
Akane Jumped! "I thought you had gone Neko then!"  
  
"I was, but you pulled me back out."  
  
"How?" Akane asked flabbergasted.  
  
Looking up at their teacher yelling out the window, Ranma said "Um. I'll tell you about it l-later. We should probably g-go back inside now." They went back to class, and were given a wide berth. No one bothered them, and they all avoided looking into Ranma's eyes.  
  
When the class resumed, Ranma got stuck right into the lesson; he paid close attention to what the teachers were saying, he offered answers, and to the annoyance of the staff he corrected mistakes in their notes which have been used for many years.  
  
Throughout the morning Akane sat happily next to him, marvelling at the enormous bin of information that Ranma had accumulated.  
  
Much to the relief of the teacher (who had started to sweat about what the new student was going to correct them on next), the lunch bell rang. 

When they were outside, Akane dragged Ranma to the far side to the school oval. They sat down beneath the trees and began to unpack lunch.  
  
"Where did you learn all that in class? You really showed up the teachers."   
  
"Oh, living on the road, you tend to pick up things. In order to survive, you have to outsmart your enemies," he replied.  
  
"What's more is you impressed me," she said sheepishly.  
  
"How?" Ranma was surprised.  
  
"The way you handled Kuno. Both times."  
  
"I just wanted him to stop bothering us, so I d-decided to humiliate him. After tying him to the flagpole, I got a bit carried away."  
  
"You went Neko on him! What caused it?"  
  
"Well I guess we both wanted to bat Kuno around, and Neko had the b-better idea, so I let it have control."  
  
"But how did you recover so quickly?" Akane asked. "I thought you usually have trouble."  
  
"I think it was because it was content from playing after I let it out, and we both like c-cuddling up to you," Ranma nervously looked up at Akane. "As Neko, it couldn't express our feelings that you could understand so it gave me back full control."  
  
Akane thought for a moment, then said "So you willingly used your Neko side, and peacefully came out again when you needed to."  
  
Ranma looked on to Akane, wondering where she was heading.  
  
"Also, have you noticed that you are stuttering less? I think you should try the same with your girl side."  
  
"No!" he interjected.  
  
"She still does bother you, right?"  
  
"Y-yeah, but she is no where near as d-distracting as Neko was. It's easy, all I have to do is avoid c-cold water..."  
  
"But you can't do that forever. It's a part of who you are now. You just have to learn to live with it."  
  
Ranma looked downcast. "It's j-just that I'm a guy. I don't want to be a g-girl." He shivered.  
  
Akane held him close. "You are still a guy. Nothing will change that. You just have the ability to know how girls feel too. That means you have the ability to please a woman better than any other man, because you would know what we like," she added smartly, while gazing into his eyes affectionately.  
  
He remained silent.  
  
"We should prepare for it in case it causes problems on our honeymoon. Even though there are hot springs there, there is still the matter of getting to them after you change."  
  
"I know that I nnneed to get used to it as Dr Tofu said, b-but I just started adjusting to Neko. It is too much to work on both at the same t-time..."  
  
"Just try it for half an hour this afternoon. After that I won't bother you about it again."  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Why don't we talk about my training? What do you think we should do?"  
  
Brightening up at the change of topic, Ranma dove into describing Akane's faults that he had noticed so far. "You relied too much on being faster. You forgot to block any of their hits and hoped that your strength would incapacitate them."  
  
He watched as Akane screwed up her face as she realised how she had ignored all her lessons and had gone back to her old ways. Smiling, Ranma said; "I did say that it will take a while to get used to it. All we can do is continue on with the katas." He stood up.  
  
"What? Now?"  
  
"Why not? We do have some time before the end of lunch."

* * *

Across the school yard, Kuno watched the girl of his dreams square off with the demon Saotome. "She is amazing! She is willing to fight the darkest of foes known to man by herself. A real man would go and help her finish off the beast," he rambled on to himself.  
  
Without needing much convincing, Kuno straightened out his new samurai outfit, drew his new bokken, and then rushed off into battle.  
  
"Curses! The 'dark one' spotted our approach. I must not falter in this holy war. I must save my fair Akane from the evil this foe will bring." He continued on with his crusade.

* * *

Ranma lashed out a fierce kick at Akane. She turned and deflected his leg while aiming a vicious punch to Ranma's chin. He tucked his head down, and with his right, made a quick jab to Akane's hip which she managed to block.  
  
"Good. You got it right that time."  
  
Akane broke face broke into a wide grin.  
  
"Hey, looks like we've got some target practice coming our way."  
  
Akane looked in the direction Ranma was facing and saw Kuno charging with his usual manner.  
  
"Akane, watch my moves. I'll fight with him as slow as I can so you can see how I block. See if you can reproduce some of them afterwards."  
  
"Die you fiend!" came Kuno's battle cry.   
  
Ranma moved slowly, and parried the sword strikes. After every strike he manoeuvred his way out from, he looked toward Akane to make sure she was watching.  
  
"See how it is done? This is plainly how to avoid getting hit. Now if you just change the direction of the blocks, you can turn the attacks back onto your opponent."

* * *

Kuno was getting frustrated. He was using his best moves on the vile beast, and he had yet to make contact due to the 'dark magic' it must practice.  
  
He saw Ranma talk to Akane, but Kuno tried not to listen to it in case if it was an enchantment spell he was casting on her.  
  
"Fear not my dearest Akane. I shall save you," he promised, but his attacks began to rebound and hit him back in the face.

* * *

At Ranma's demonstration, Akane started to laugh. "That's looks really funny! Are you taking this in Kuno?"  
  
Kuno looked toward Akane who had just spoken his name. "Yes my love? How may I serve thee?"  
  
Before she could retort, Kuno was knocked out with his bokken by Ranma's last move. "That was another good tactic you used then Akane. Distractions can be very useful. You just have to make sure they can't be used on yourself."  
  
At that moment the school bell rang, signalling for the students to return to class. Ranma looked back at the school, and Akane snuck closer and gave him a kiss.  
  
"Mmm, Mnnnnnn," he said in surprise before he sank into the moment. Pulling back out, Akane said "No distractions huh?"  
  
Ranma playfully poked his tongue out at her, which Akane quickly snagged in another kiss. They were interrupted when Nabiki yelled out the window at them to 'put it away until tomorrow' and to get back to class.  
  
"Later then?" he suggested.  
  
"I s'pose," she pouted, and then they went back inside.

* * *

When the day ended and the couple were walking home, Akane brought the idea of Ranma trying out his curse again. "Should we do it first thing, or after some more of my training?"  
  
"After your t-training I think," he said glumly. "In c-case something goes wrong, you will still get your workout."  
  
"Don't worry. Nothing will go wrong. You'll be fine."  
  
"I h-hope so." 

When they arrived back home, they dumped their school things up in their rooms. They went back down stairs to see if Soun and Genma had everything ready for the next day.  
  
Finding them playing go, the couple approach, but before either of them could ask about the wedding, Genma spoke up. "How was school today boy?"  
  
"Umm, it was okay. There were some stupid people there who were fun to play with. I didn't learn anything new in the class though."  
  
The two men look up. They noticed Ranma's lack of stutter. "What happened Ranma?"  
  
"Me and Neko played with a ball on a string."  
  
At the look of confusion, Akane gave the details. "He humiliated Kuno in the morning, and shortly later Kuno came charging in screaming about our engagement. Ranma took him outside, tied him by the rope on the flagpole, and then played with him as if he were a cat."  
  
"No other problems with it?"  
  
"Nah. We were working together on Kuno, and Akane came down to me. The cat couldn't talk to Akane so I took over."  
  
Genma looked pleased. "So you're making progress. It's about time."  
  
"How's your progress Pops? Get any bigger titbits from the animal keeper?"  
  
Genma growled.  
  
"Good boy," Ranma sarcastically patted him on his bald head.  
  
"The ceremony will be at ten tomorrow morning. You two will have to be up by eight to get ready, and you could set off for your trip after lunch if you wish," Soun told them.  
  
"Oh," Ranma said, thinking that it would take a bit longer. "Let's go and do some training until then." She took hold of his arm, and they walked out to the dojo.

* * *

While they were sparring, Akane couldn't help notice that Ranma didn't put his heart into it. Most people wouldn't have noticed the difference, but being around him lately, she had picked up on the smallest change in his behaviour.   
  
When he gave her hints on how to perfect her moves he didn't have the same buoyant charm in his voice. When he was about to suggest that she try the moves he used on Kuno earlier, she interrupted him. "What's bothering you?"  
  
He tried to say that nothing was wrong, but she persisted until he came clean. He sat down with his back against the wall and Akane moved in beside him.  
  
"Everything's j-just happening so fffast now." He rested his chin on his knees as he held them up to his chest. "I'm nnnot used to having so much to d-deal with."  
  
She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and leant her head against his. Her gesture greatly comforted him, but he was still felt a bit uneasy.  
  
"I mean my whole l-life was dedicated to the Arts. We took it at carefree pace, taking things as they came. But nnnow that's all over; I have a place to call h-home, we're getting married tomorrow, and I've been breaking down on one of the first lessons Pop taught me whenever I'm with you."  
  
Akane thought the same thing. She too had been finding comfort and to rely on Ranma when he was there beside her.   
  
"My p-past has started to catch up to me; I'm getting to know a part of mmmyself that I have been t-trying to ignore for years. The more I do, the more I fffeel as if the Neko-ken t-training was self-inflicted. It's as though I was attacking while I was t-t-trying to fffight myself off.  
  
"Next I have to d-deal with a c-c-curse which will only cause me more troubles." He paused. "Everything has changed! I don't know what to expect to h-happen next."  
  
Akane rubbed her head against his, "I know you have had to cope with a lot in your life, but now I am here. We will face your problems together."  
  
Ranma looked into her eyes and managed a small smile. "I know." He lightly kissed her on the lips, and then said "Thankyou."  
  
They embraced each other for a while before Akane suggested that they could put off the 'girl' training.  
  
"No," he straightened up and pushed his other problems aside. "You are right. I do need to prepare for it."  
  
Akane was startled in his sudden change of attitude. "Um, where would you feel more comfortable? In here or up in your room?"  
  
"In h-here would be fine. More space in case I lose control."  
  
"Okay then. Pull up a mat from the corner, and I'll get some water." She left Ranma alone in the dojo.  
  
He trudged himself over to the mats and pulled one out. Lying on his back, he thought about what he was about to do. He tried fighting off his fear, but failed. Ranma started to panic. His heart raced until he could hear it pounding in his ears. 

Soon enough Akane came back, holding a bucket of cold water and a kettle. She placed them nearby and knelt down next to Ranma. She looked at him and noticed how scared he was. "Shhh, you need to calm down. That is the purpose of this exercise." She gently caressed his cheek. "I'm going to let you change when you are ready." She offered him the bucket.  
  
He took a few deep calming breaths, and then stuck his hand into the bucket. With the coldness on his hand, he felt the shift in weight as the boundaries of his body change shape. He felt a strange tingling sensation as he became the small red-headed girl. It felt so alien to him. He cried out. First instinct was to go Neko, but Akane was there, caressing his cheek, talking to him in a soothing voice. "Calm down. You will only be like this for a little while." She massaged Ranma's forehead as she waited for him to calm down.  
  
Eventually Ranma's breathing slowed enough for him to talk.  
  
"F-feels weird," he stammered. "S-so strange."  
  
"Can you explain it?" Akane asked.  
  
"Everything my b-body is t-t-telling me is new to me. Bits are mmmissing where I know thhhey should be, and there are extra where they shhhouldn't. My insides feel all d-different, and my scars are painfully tight around mmmy chest. It is all just so strange."  
  
"You just need know your new body to understand. You know all about your male body, just give it some time and you can come to know this one too."  
  
"I don't w-w-want to know it though! It's wr-rong!"  
  
Akane lifted one of Ranma's hands and pressed to her breast. "Does this feel wrong?"  
  
Ranma stared, surprised at first, but then started to say, "No, b-but you're a g-g..."  
  
"And so are you at the moment." She immediately regretted what she said. It was one of the last things Ranma needed to hear. Akane moved her hand to Ranma's breast and said, "We are the same. Your only problem is that you have a curse, there is nothing wrong with the body it gives you."  
  
Ranma extremely was upset. It became all too much for him. As his new emotions run through him, tears started to fill his eyes.   
  
Akane lay down next to him, and held him to her. Ranma turned and buried his face in Akane's neck, and she gently rocked him as he quietly sobbed.

* * *

They lay like that for some time. Finally Akane released Ranma. "I think that is enough for tonight." She reached for the kettle. It had gone cold. "Oh. We can go for a bath now and you can change back." Ranma nodded. "Come on," Akane had already gotten to her feet, and offered her hand to Ranma. Ranma took Akane's hand and held on to her for support as they walked back into the house. 

All heads turned as Akane led the red-headed girl to the furo. No one spoke as they all remembered the story he told them; how he went Neko to escape what he felt when he turned into the girl. He must be putting up a great deal of control so that he didn't slip. Akane was helping him greatly with that.

* * *

They sat in the furo together, and Akane held Ranma tightly against her. She thought back to when she saw how much Ranma's scars disfigured his female form. They ran deeply over his chest. It's no wonder why he fears his curse. They looked painful. Akane shivered.  
  
Ranma looked back at her. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing," she replied. "You did really well today."  
  
"Yeah I b-broke down crying!"  
  
"Sometimes it is good to have a cry. Let all your feelings out. Yes especially you," she said, looking at the reproached look he gave her. "You've had a hard life. No one should have to put up with what the world handed you."  
  
"You mean what Pop handed me."  
  
"Yeah, that too. But you've achieved so much with what you have."  
  
"That's the problem. I have achieved more than I should have. I never expected to have the feeling I have when I g-go girl. It's all too much to d-deal with."  
  
"You have to face it. It is a part of you that you can't run from. You will deal with it, and you will come out stronger than you were before," she encouraged him.  
  
"Yeah. But I will havvve to take it very sl-lowly. Would you mmmind if I let Neko out for a while? I need to diminish my thoughts for a while."  
  
"Only if it agrees to let you back out when you need to," she said. "And I want you to stay with me during that time; we both need to comfort each other for what is coming up."  
  
"I'll t-try."  
  
"And put some clothes on first! I don't want you running around naked in front of everybody!" she said. Then in a whisper, "I want you to save that for our honeymoon." They both laughed.

* * *

They camped themselves in front of the television. Akane sat on the lounge, and Ranma was curled up in her lap. She was absently stroking his hair and Ranma started to purr loudly. He looked so peaceful. Through all the hardship he had suffered, and the worries that have been afflicting him lately, in the Neko-ken Ranma could forget all and just be concerned with what was most important to him. Akane envied him in a way. But she also knew that one can not run away from their problems for ever.  
  
Breaking her train of thoughts, someone knocked at the door. Every one else was in bed so Akane gently pushed Ranma aside, he curled up on the cushion and continued to pur. Akane received a surprise when she saw who it was.  
  
Nodoka Saotome stood at the threshold of the Tendo home.  
  
"Nodoka! Come on in! You couldn't be here at a better time!"  
  
Nodoka was surprised to see Akane in such a good mood. "Why, hello Akane. How are you?"  
  
"Very well, thankyou. How have you been?"  
  
"Not too well I'm afraid. As usual, the last postcard you showed me led me nowhere. I couldn't find my son or Genma anywhere," she said in a downcast tone.  
  
"We got another one a few weeks ago. And now they are staying put."  
  
"Where are they? Please tell me," Nodoka pleaded.  
  
Akane took Nodoka by the arm and led her to the television room. "Here," she said.  
  
Nodoka fell to her knees when she saw Ranma. "Oh my!" she gasped. "He's alright!"   
  
Nodoka hastily crawled over to her son and pulled him into a tight hug. Neko-Ranma who was rudely awoken by a stranger, started to growl.   
  
Nodoka was startled by the sounds resonating from deep within Ranma, and jumped back in fright.  
  
Akane rushed forward to Ranma. "It's okay Ranma. But it is now time to put Neko away."  
  
Ranma reached up and hugged Akane, then looked at the strange woman, clutching her chest. "S-sorry about that. I don't like being woken so suddenly." He then took a big cattish stretch. "Who are you anyway?"  
  
Akane spoke up. "Nodoka, meet Ranma. Ranma say hello to your mother." 

They sat at the table, while Akane made them some tea.  
  
"So Ranma, tell me about yourself. I am sorry to say that I don't know anything about you."  
  
Ranma felt awkward. He remembered the reactions he got when he told the Tendos. "Um. You p-p-probably won't like this, but I need you to promise me something fffirst."  
  
"Anything!" She was pleased enough to get her son back, nothing could dampen her spirits.  
  
"Don't k-kill Pops."  
  
She was wrong. "Genma!" her face darkened. "What has that fool done to you?"   
  
"Just promise me first."  
  
She was reluctant. She wanted him dead from the start. But she was finally reunited with her son and didn't want to ruin it. "Okay. I promise I won't kill your father. But if he did anything..."  
  
"You can b-beat him up as much as you want," he finished for her. "Heck! I do it all the time!"  
  
Nodoka was pleased. If Genma deserved anything, it would be to be beaten up by his own son! She was very proud.  
  
Ranma then told her the dreadful tale of his life.  
  
"He didn't!? THAT ANIMAL! I"LL KILL HIM!" she stood up.  
  
"NO!" Ranma commanded. "You promised."  
  
"But what he did..."  
  
"I made you promise b-before I told you because I knew you'd respond l-like this. All the Tendos did."  
  
"At first we did, but it would be the easiest way out for him. Then I thought we could rent him out to the district zoo. They have only one panda there, and she gets really lonely," Akane said. Both Ranma and his mother laughed at this. "Have him father some cubs and see if can do a better job raising them."  
  
Ranma wiped a tear from his eye. "That's a great idea. We can take him down tomorrow before we l-leave."  
  
"You're leaving? But I just found you!" Nodoka cried.  
  
"We're getting married tomorrow, and Ranma is taking me on a training trip for our honeymoon."  
  
Nodoka was stunned.  
  
"Don't worry. It'll only be for a week." Akane assured her. "We'll be back before you know it. You two can get to know each other then."  
  
"You're getting married? Already?"  
  
"Yes" the two said together. "Ten o'clock tomorrow."  
  
"Oh my! I must be getting home then."  
  
"You're leaving? But y-you just found me," Ranma mimicked his mother.  
  
Nodoka smiled. "I have something at home I intended to give you when you get married. Also I can't go to a wedding dressed in this outfit,' gesturing at her travelling cloak. "I'll be back early tomorrow morning." She gave Ranma a final hug then left.  
  
"Thhhings are really happening fast aren't they," Ranma said shaking a bit like he did with his earlier spell. "She was the l-last person I had expected to sssee. Although I am somewhat glad to see her, just after all this time..."  
  
"You'll get to know her all over again. Besides, she came at just the right moment. She'll get to see us married. I don't think she would have been too happy if she missed out on that."  
  
Ranma nodded.  
  
"How are you feeling now? Have you gotten over your girl training from today?"  
  
"I am a b-bit better. But it will take a long time before I could get us-sed to it," he admitted. "But that's enough excitement for one day. Let's go to bed. We've got a long day ahead of us."  
  
Akane held Ranma's hand and smiled at him. She pulled him up the stairs and into her room. As Akane took her top off, Ranma grew agitated. "Sorry. Just one more night," he said. "Please don't ruin it."  
  
Frowning, she put her pyjamas on and Ranma stripped down to his tank top and boxers. He edged his way under the covers, and snuggled into Akane's back. He wrapped his free arm around her, and she held onto his hand.  
  
"Good night Ranma."  
  
"Good night."  
  
"I Love you."  
  
"I Love you too Akane."  
  
And sleep finally overtook them.

* * *

They were woken with the smells of a fresh breakfast which Kasumi brought up to them on a tray. "Eat up you two. You've got a long day ahead of you."  
  
"What time is it?" Ranma asked while stifling a yawn.  
  
"Half past seven. You have half an hour before you have to start to get ready," Kasumi replied. "And your mother has arrived. She's wants to see you both before anything else anything happens."  
  
"Tell her that we'll be down soon."  
  
Kasumi smiled and left the room.  
  
"What do you think she wants to give you?" Akane asked.  
  
"No idea."  
  
"Let's not keep her waiting then."  
  
They finished their meal quickly and descended the stairs to the living room.

* * *

Nodoka jumped up and hugged them both before either of them could react. "Good to see you both. Here, sit down. I have something to show you."  
  
They sat beside each other and Nodoka pulled out a small wooden box. When she handed it to them she said "These have been in our family for many generations.   
  
Ranma opened the box. Inside was a pair of rings. Each were made of gold and engraved with dragons.   
  
"My ancestors were personally responsible for the safety of some highly important families. Without their help, the empire would have certainly fallen during the Great War. These rings were given to them as a token for the services they provided.   
  
"Among the noble houses it is known that the wearers of these rings are of a family which deserves great respect. If any treat you otherwise, their name shall be declared without honour and lose their status among the houses."  
  
Ranma was lost for words at the revelation. He had never seen any such honour in his father, or anything that he did to deserve such respect. "What about Pop? Where did h-he go wrong?"  
  
Nodoka's eyes narrowed. "My parents didn't think your father was worthy enough to wear the family heirloom, so they were put in my care to pass on. At first I was furious with their decision, but as time passed on I began to notice what my parents had already seen in Genma." She broke down crying. "I'm so sorry about what he did to you."  
  
Ranma didn't know what to do. "Um... Thanks." He felt a bit separate from his mother. She did show a lot more respect for him than his father had ever done, but he still did not know anything about her.  
  
"I'm glad I finally found you, 'sob' and that you are okay." Standing up, "I'll let you two get ready now. After all, this is your day," and she walked out to the dojo where the Shinto sanctuary was being prepared.  
  
"And now it's time for you to get ready," Genma said. He led Ranma away to his room while Kasumi led Akane to hers.

* * *

While helping to prepare, Genma grasped Ranma's upper arms and said "I'm proud of you boy."   
  
Ranma's ears perked up.  
  
"Fulfilling the family legacy, and marrying Akane..."  
  
Ranma's hope died. He jerked himself out of his father's hold. "Get out."  
  
"What?" his father asked.  
  
"I'm not d-doing this for you. I'm doing this for me. Since this has nothing to do with you, and yet you k-keep bragging like it is, I'll get ready myself."  
  
"But..."  
  
"OUT!" Ranma shouted. His aura flared with an intensity far greater than Genma had ever seen. It was all the help he needed to get rid of the old man.  
  
When he left, Ranma was fuming. 'Of all days, he had to ruin this one!'  
  
He continued to seethe in anger until the image of Akane appeared in his head. Peace flowed over him, smothering his fears and fury.  
  
'Akane.'

* * *

In Akane's room:  
  
"I can't believe this; I'm finally getting married to Ranma!"  
  
"You sure seem happy enough," Kasumi commented.  
  
"Enough?" Akane exclaimed, "I don't think I've ever been this happy before! I just hope nothing spoils the day."  
  
"I'm sure everything will be fine..."  
  
She was interrupted with Ranma's shout, "OUT!"  
  
"Ranma!" Akane was about to rush out to see what was wrong.  
  
"No. you stay in here," Kasumi held her back. "I'll check it out." Out in the hallway, Kasumi watched Genma steal his way out of Ranma's room.  
  
"What happened in there Mr Saotome?"  
  
Genma wiped the sweat off his brow. "I don't know. I was just congratulating the boy when he started shouting at me."  
  
Kasumi narrowed her eyes. She seriously doubted that was what happened. "On your way down, could you please send Father up here?" She turned around and went back to Akane without waiting for an answer. 

"What's wrong?" Akane asked anxiously.  
  
"I think Mr Saotome just put his foot in his mouth again. I asked him to send Father up here to see what happened."  
  
"Thanks Kas."  
  
"Now let's get you into that kimono."

* * *

Standing at the gates of Furinkan High School, Kuno stood proclaiming his endless love for Akane.  
  
"My beloved Akane. Where are thou tis fine morning?  
  
The rest of Akane's fans had already gone to class.  
  
"To be late tis said to be fashionable, but you need not use it to woo me. For I am yours for the taking."  
  
He thrust his bokken into the sky, lightning crashed in the distance. "For I, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan high shall lie in waiting for your return."  
  
Little else happened, but a bit of rubbish blew past him.

* * *

Knock Knock  
  
"Hello, Ranma?"  
  
"Hi Mr Tendo, c-come in."  
  
"Is there anything wrong?"  
  
"Nah, Pop just has trouble learning."  
  
"That's good to hear. Would you like any help?"  
  
"S-sure, thanks."  
  
Soun picked up the black kimono and helped Ranma into it. "Are you nervous?"  
  
"A bit, but just the thought of being with Akane for the rest of our lives helps soothe my nerves. I'm just w-worried that Pops will do something to r-ruin the day."  
  
"Try not to think about that. You mother is here to take care of him. I must say, she has shown great restraint against using her kantana on him."  
  
"Yeah. I mmmade her promise not to kill him. Not yet at least. I'm still waiting for him to acknowledge me for being me. Not just some thing for him to use to gain the upper hand."  
  
"He should come around some day. He is a quick learner after all."  
  
Ranma looked toward Soun with a shocked expression on his face. "Since when has he been a fffast learner? Heck, he still hasn't learnt the techniques I have been using for years! I had to teach him stuff as we moved from dojo to dojo because he couldn't pick it up b-before they kicked him out."  
  
"You must be a very quick learner then! I had trouble keeping up with him!"  
  
"Oh." Ranma felt a bit awkward.  
  
"Nevermind. I am proud to be able to call you family."  
  
"Err, Thhhankyou Mr Tendo."  
  
"Please, call me Soun. After all you will be my son-in-law soon."  
  
"Why not Dad?" Ranma smirked.  
  
"Um, you don't even call your own father that, so I didn't want you to feel obligated. I'm happy enough for you to be a friend."  
  
"Thankyou Soun."  
  
"Enough with the thanking me already! This is supposed to be your day."  
  
"Thankyou," Ranma chuckled.  
  
"Ranma..." Soun said, but started to laugh too.

* * *

As time crept on, Ranma's anxiety from the previous night had came back onto him, causing him to pace around the room.  
  
"It's time to go," Soun announced.  
  
Ranma stopped immediately and looked up.  
  
"You can go and meet Akane now and lead her to the dojo."  
  
Ranma dashed out of the room and knocked on Akane's door.  
  
Sounds of shuffling came from the room, and after a short moment Kasumi opened the door. When she stepped aside, Akane walked out to meet Ranma. His jaw dropped at the sight in front of him.  
  
Akane was wearing a completely white kimono, which was designed to fit loosely like her gi, although it fell down to her ankles. Her hair was gathered behind her head and allowed to flow down her back, but was covered in a large veil of similar fabric to her kimono.  
  
She felt a bit self conscious as she met up with Ranma in the hallway, but one look at Ranma's shocked expression and his severely stuttered proclamation of her beauty blew all her doubt away. She smiled at him which to Ranma's opinion completed the ensemble with flying colours.  
  
She linked arms with him and was about to walk with him, but realised he was still staring at her. She elbowed him lightly in the ribs to wake him from his reverie and he led her down the stairs and outside to the dojo. 

Before they entered, Ranma faced Akane and said, "This is it. The end of our loneliness."  
  
"And well worth the wait," she replied.  
  
They gave each other reassuring smiles, and entered the dojo for the ceremony which will change their future forever.

* * *

After the priest conducted the purification service on everybody, all gathered, recited the Shinto prayer.  
  
  
  
Although the people living across the ocean surrounding us,   
  
I believe,  
  
Are all our brothers and sisters,  
  
Why are there constant troubles in this world?  
  
Why do winds and waves rise in the ocean surrounding us?  
  
I only earnestly wish that the wind will soon puff away all the clouds which are hanging over the tops of the mountains.  
  
  
  
When the room became quiet once more, Ranma was handed the smallest of the nuptical cups of sake to begin the San-San-Kudo exchange. Ranma brought the cup to his lips and sipped three times before handing it to Akane to do the procedure as well. The pair repeated the ritual with the two larger cups.  
  
Nodoka stepped forward and produced the box containing the rings. Ranma took Akane's ring out. With her hand in his, he gazed up into her eyes. "I Ranma Saotome, do pledge to be your faithful and loving husband for the rest of my life. Through sickness, and in health, I shall be there to help you, and guide you through anything that may stand in our way." He lifted her hand and slid her ring onto her finger. Looking back into her eyes, "With this ring, I bind my heart to you, and take you Akane Tendo, to be my wife."  
  
Tears of happiness were creeping their way out of Akane's eyes as she broke a large grin on her face. Ranma's words etched into her memory, never to be forgotten for the joy they brought into her life. She took his hand in hers, and lovingly looked up at him. "I, Akane Tendo, do pledge to be your faithful and loving wife from this day forth, for the rest of my life. I promise to stand by you, help you in times of need, and will stand by your side through everything that we shall meet in our life together." She slipped Ranma's ring onto his finger. "With this ring, I bind my heart with yours, and take you Ranma Saotome, to be my husband."  
  
They momentarily held their eye contact, and then dove into their first kiss as a married couple. Their world closed around them as they embraced, their lips connected while oblivious to their families' claps and cheers.  
  
When they finally pulled apart, both their faces were flushed bright red from lack of air and realisation that they were the centre of attention.   
  
"Congratulations!"  
  
"Welcome to the family."  
  
"Long live the married couple."  
  
"I'm proud of you boy."  
  
The newlyweds paid little attention to their family, they were too caught up with the idea of actually being married already.  
  
"Wife," Ranma whispered into Akane's ear.  
  
"Husband," she whispered back.  
  
They held each other close until the people started to make their way back to the house.  
  
"Come on, let's go and get ready for our trip," Ranma said.  
  
They linked arms and followed the progression outside.

* * *

Bags were packed and the teenagers were changed into more rugged wear. Ready for their training trip, they made their way downstairs to join in with the rest of the festivities. 

"Please have a seat Mr and Mrs Saotome!" Soun gestured to the dining table. The table was sagging with a large banquet of assorted food; Kasumi had been very busy in the kitchen.  
  
"Would you like some (hic) sake boy?" Genma slurred, he had started to drink in celebration immediately after he left the dojo.  
  
"No thanks. You can have it," waved Ranma. The more his father drank, the easier it would be to send him to the zoo, especially if he passes out. Nodoka nodded in Ranma's direction, thinking in similar terms.  
  
"Well, have some juice. We need to make a toast."  
  
Ranma filled a cup for Akane and himself.  
  
Soun held his glass in the air, everyone else followed. "To Ranma and Akane Saotome. May the future bring you nothing but Happiness and joy for all that comes your way."  
  
"Cheers!" the rest chorused.  
  
The newlyweds tapped their cups together then took a sip simultaneously. Looking towards each other as they brought their cups down, their eyes drew them closer. Before they realised, their lips were touching, and their arms around each other as they shared their second post-marital kiss.  
  
More whoops and cheers sounded at the show of affection. It wasn't until Nabiki made another snide remark that Ranma tried to brake away from the kiss to retaliate. Akane held him back. "Leave it be this time. No need to spoil our moment," she smiled up at him.  
  
"That's true. We still have other things to deal with yet that may go sour." At the look of confusion on Akane's face, Ranma jerked his head in Genma's direction.  
  
She lowered her voice, "You mean you're still going through with it?"  
  
"Yeah. Probably not for as long or the purpose I joked about last night, but a short stay may do some good. It'll certainly settle my mind down to know that he'll be somewhere so the world would be safe from his actions."  
  
Akane nodded. She looked over to her father-in-law, he was happily downing another bottle of sake. "Could we just wait a little while? He seems to be having a good time at the moment."  
  
"I am waiting for him to pass out first anyway. It would probably come as a bigger shock for him to wake up with a hangover, as a panda in the zoo, with another panda crawling over him. It may teach him the problems with drinking as well," he said with an evil grin.  
  
Not wanting to spoil his mood, Akane started to heap some food onto their plates. "Oh well then, let's get some good food into us before we leave. There's only so much we can make while camping, and I'm not that much of a cook..."  
  
"Don't worry about that. There are some tasty meals that I found easy to make on the road. I could show you some of them."  
  
Brightening up a bit, "I'll be looking forward to it," she purred into his ear.  
  
When lunch was over, Soun made a small announcement. "Akane, Ranma, there is one more thing you two need to do." He pulled up a large envelope of papers. "Here are the documents you both need to sign for marriage to be legal."  
  
Ranma took a glance at his father, past out and sprawled across the floor. "Don't you all have to sign this?"  
  
"Genma has already signed it. We all signed it last night. It is only now awaiting your signatures before I take it down to the registry to be logged."  
  
"Okay then, after you Akane," he offered her the pen.  
  
She immediately signed her name, and Ranma signed afterwards.  
  
"Now that there's nothing else to do here, I guess we can get going now," he suggested to Akane.  
  
"Okay. Let's get our bags." The two ran up the stairs, and returned shortly: both had bags bulging with their contents, but it was obvious that Ranma carried the heavier one as the stairs creaked underneath his feet.  
  
"Hey mum, are you ready to go?"  
  
"Are you going too?" Soun asked Nodoka incredulously.  
  
"No. I'm just taking Genma to his new home, but in the state that he is in..."  
  
"No need to explain any further," Soun stated. "Just remember that you are both welcome here. Besides this place now belongs to Akane and Ranma so I don't see any reason for you not to visit..."  
  
"What?!" the newlyweds shouted.  
  
Soun was taken aback by the sudden outburst. "It was a part of the original plan that Genma came up with. You two were to marry and take over the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. The dojo comes with it, so naturally this place now belongs to you."  
  
"But..." Ranma started.  
  
"I gave you both the choice of marrying. Just consider it as a wedding present," Soun smiled at the pair who were both sporting shocked faces.  
  
Ranma shook his head, "I'm sorry Soun, but I'll have to say it again."  
  
"What?" he asked, uncertain to what Ranma was talking about.  
  
"Thankyou," Ranma answered through a large grin.  
  
Soun could only laugh.  
  
"Oh well, it's probably time we should go," Ranma said to Akane and his mother.  
  
"Yeah, see you later Pops," Akane waved. But when she saw Genma sprawled across the floor, she found a problem. "How are we going to get him..."  
  
She cut herself off mid sentence when Ranma easily picked up the large man and slung him over his shoulder with ease. "Let's go." He walked out the door and Akane followed after him.  
  
Nodoka was left inside. She turned towards Soun and said "Thankyou for taking in my son, and all the help you have given us."  
  
Soun waved down at her words, "Nonsense Nodoka, over the years it feels as though Ranma was my son already. I care for him as much as you do. I know how much he means to you, so please don't be a stranger around here. You are welcome here whenever you wish to visit, and please do, I enjoy your company." He missed his wife badly, having Nodoka around often helped fill the hole in Soun's life.  
  
Nodoka bowed in thanks, and left the house.

* * *

The trip to the zoo was relatively uneventful; at one stage Genma stirred from his alcohol induced sleep so Ranma had to knock him out again. When they arrived Ranma quickly transformed his father in the car park when no-one was around, then dragged him to the zoo keeper's office with Akane and Nodoka following close behind.  
  
The zookeeper's eyes opened wide with surprise when Ranma entered and asked if he was willing to rent a panda.  
  
"W-w-what?!" he exclaimed.  
  
"This panda became my travelling companion in China, but now he is starting to get a bit restless. I think he is starting to get a bit lonely and needs a mate of his own kind. I believe that you have a female panda in your care in the same situation."  
  
"Umm, yeah," the zookeeper stammered.  
  
"Well, would you like to make an arrangement?"  
  
The zookeeper pushed his shock aside. "How long are you willing to part with your pet?"  
  
"How long will you need him?"  
  
"About a month," he replied. The zookeeper saw a hint of disappointment in the youth's eyes, but it was misinterpreted. "Ah, we may not need him for that long. Pandas are only together for the time it takes to mate. I suggested that long in case they don't get along at first... And you can come and visit him as often as you like..." He didn't want to miss out on the opportunity by upsetting the owner.  
  
"No, no. you can keep him for as long as you like. You can put him on display if you want. I am just having trouble housing him at the moment and need some time to relax without worrying what he's up to."  
  
The zookeeper was delighted. "Certainly. How much would you like for his services?"  
  
Ranma shrugged his shoulders and came up with a price on the spot. "Um, how about fifty thousand yen a month?"  
  
"Deal!" the zookeeper jumped in. It was a bargain; it would have cost him much more if he had to get one imported. He could make so much money out of this: A new panda on display as well as a baby panda on the way! He cracked a toothy smile, but was surprised that the boy was also sporting a wicked grin.  
  
"Now, there are a few things about the panda that you should be careful about," Ranma said.  
  
"What?" the zookeeper asked, hoping that there was nothing that would cause problems for the zoo.  
  
"That panda is very sneaky! You have to make sure he can't get out of his enclosure."  
  
"Don't worry. The panda habitat is surrounded by a moat and the walls are topped with electric fences."  
  
"Don't be too carefree about it though. I was on a training trip in China, and the panda knows quite a bit of martial arts."  
  
'A fighting panda! This could make lots of money!' the keeper thought. "I'll keep a personal eye on him," he reassured them.  
  
"Okay, other than that, keep him away from hot water."  
  
"Hot water? What's the problem?"  
  
"He had a bad experience with it a little while ago. Just trust me, you wont like the outcome." Ranma was having a laughing fit inside while he was saying this: it was another way of beating his father up without touching him.  
  
"Sure. If that's it, would you like a tour of the zoo while I get your money ready?"  
  
Ranma looked towards Akane, "Nah. We're about to go on our honeymoon. This was the last thing we had to take care of before we leave."  
  
"Honeymoon?! Well I'll slip in a bonus for you two as a wedding gift."  
  
"Thankyou Sir."  
  
"No problem. Just excuse me for a bit while I get you your money."  
  
When the zookeeper left, Ranma turned to look at his mother. "That was pretty easy."  
  
Nodoka was impressed with Ranma and how he handled the deal. "I can't believe you managed to punish your father as well as being paid for it."  
  
"Yeah, he'll be doing even less work than he did at the circus, and we'll be getting the money!" Akane dished in.  
  
"What can I say...? Pop has to earn his keep somehow."  
  
By the time Ranma had finished his dealings with the zookeeper and helped take Genma to the panda enclosure, the afternoon had started to draw on.  
  
"Hey Akane, we better get going now. We need to go some distance before we get there tonight."  
  
"Yeah, you're right." She turned toward Nodoka and said, "I'm sorry we couldn't spend more time with you, but we'll see you when we get back."  
  
"Goodbye mum," Ranma said.  
  
She swooped down on the two of them, her long lost son and new daughter. "Please come back to me. I couldn't stand the thought of losing you again." She planted kisses on them both and reluctantly let them go. "Have a good time you two." She turned around and made her way back to her house.  
  
Ranma and Akane shouldered their packs, and set off on their honeymoon training trip.

* * *

After a two hour ride, they alighted from the train. They had spent the time in a quiet nook of the last carriage, leaning against each other and holding hands. They were not up to the stage of expressing themselves any more in public just yet, although they were straining to hold themselves back while gazing in each other's eyes.  
  
Akane looked around at the landscape about the train station. The station was a single platform, unmanned, and as Ranma had described a few days previously; was in the middle of nowhere. Yet the rich green of the foliage and hills had a charm to it which Akane found appealing.  
  
"Come on," Ranma interrupted her moment. "We have quite a hike ahead of us before it gets dark." He took her hand in his and led her to a faint trail of trampled earth that meandered the way through the forest.  
  
On their travels, they spoke little to each other. For one, Akane didn't have the endurance to keep up a conversation and their pace. But the contact between their hands spoke all that they needed.  
  
The afternoon wore on as they made their way up the mountain. The scenery changed into rocky outcrops, canyons and narrow ledges on the tall cliffs. Akane became very nervous about these paths, and she showed it.  
  
"Just treat it like the fence, concentrate where your feet are, and not the bottom of the ravine."  
  
Akane drew in a deep breath to calm herself, then continued on with Ranma's reassurance.  
  
Another half hour later, they had found the hot springs Ranma had told her about.  
  
"Oooh! That looks sooo good right about now," Akane dropped to her knees next to the hot pool.  
  
Ranma smirked at her. "Not yet. We need to set camp and start a fire for dinner while we still have light, then we can have a soak." He offered her his arm and lifted her back to her feet. "Now, would you like to pitch tent under the stars, or in a small cave around the corner?"  
  
Her eyes brightened up at the mention of a cave. "I think the cave sounds more appropriate. It will also offer us more shelter in case it rains."  
  
"Yeah, you're right," he said as he continued on to the cave.

* * *

Soon enough there was the sound of a campfire crackling and the careless chatter of the newlyweds as they finished off their dinner.  
  
"Mmm! That was good!" Ranma exclaimed as he cleaned out his bowl.  
  
"But it was just plain rice!"  
  
"It was good for a campfire meal. Compared to some of the things I ate on the road..." he looked up at her face and saw her disappointment. "We can have a better meal later. You wanted to get to that spring tonight, remember?"  
  
Akane's expression brightened right up at the reminder. "Yeah that's right!" She jumped to her feet and grabbed Ranma's arm. "Let's go and have our bath," she said as she attempted to drag Ranma out of the cave.  
  
"Whoa! Slow down. Shouldn't we at least get the soap? I'm sure that you worked up quite a sweat on the hike here."  
  
"Yeah I guess so," Akane replied in defeat.  
  
"What's with the down attitude? I think it'll be much more enjoyable lying next to you tonight without having to hold my nose," he joked while ruffling through his bag for their toiletries.  
  
"Baka," she replied and poked her tongue out at him.  
  
He chuckled lightly. "Oh well. Shall we?" he offered her his arm, which she gratefully took, and they made their way over to the springs.

* * *

Thoroughly scrubbed of sweat and grime, the pair were soon soaking up the heat of the water.  
  
"Mmm! you smell much better," Ranma taunted while leaning over Akane.  
  
"Hey!" Akane shouted while splashing him.  
  
With water dripping down his face, Ranma gave her a devious grin, and then ducked under the water. When he didn't surface, Akane grew a bit concerned about what he was up to when...  
  
BOOOM!  
  
SPLASH!  
  
The water exploded into the air and drenched everything about the spring. Sputtering, Akane opened her eyes. After pulling her hair which was plastered to her face away, all she saw was a boy with a grin from ear to ear, just begging to be punished. She opened her arms out wide, and sent handfuls of water back in Ranma's direction.  
  
He ducked out of the way as he sent a ball of water at Akane which landed right on target.  
  
"GOTCHA!"  
  
Dripping, she tried her attack again, missed and received another ball of water in return. 'That was it,' Akane thought. 'The next one should get him.' She made a fist with both her hands and made a side sweep at the surface of the water and made a wide splash which surely must get Ranma...  
  
It didn't. He made an impressive jump over it and bombed Akane with another surge of water. He turned around to see the results of his handiwork, and found Akane with her hair again plastered to her face again, and he laughed loudly.  
  
"Ranma! Get back here!" she shouted in a battle cry. She lunged for him and tried to wrestle him to the edge of the spring, but found herself clutching water alone. While quickly looking for where he had gone, she received a large mass of water to the back of her head. When she turned back to him she got another handful of water in her face.  
  
"RANMA!"  
  
"Uh oh," he sounded before dodging her next lunge and landed at the edge of the spring.  
  
Akane stopped her pursuit as she gazed up at Ranma's glory. He felt a bit apprehensive at the hungry look Akane was giving him, knowing what was on her mind. Although he did want their relationship to progress on to the next stage, (after all, he was the one who wanted to wait for this night,) now that the time had arrived, he began to feel a little bit nervous. Under the predatorily look of Akane, he remembered his state of dress, and ducked behind a boulder.  
  
"Hey! No fair!" she complained. She climbed out of the spring to where Ranma was. She found him fumbling, trying to get back into his boxers. She snuck up behind him and said, "Just what do you think you're doing?"  
  
He was just getting his second foot into his shorts when she surprised him. As he twisted around, he tripped and made a grab for the closest thing to stop his fall. It just happened to be Akane, who was not prepared for the sudden move, so she fell with him.  
  
On the ground, his arms around her hips, he found his face embedded in her navel. At first he didn't move, but when he heard the giggle coming from Akane, he looked up into her eyes and lost himself in her expression of amusement.  
  
"We should probably go back to our camp before this goes on any further," she told him.  
  
Nodding slightly, he slowly unravelled his arms from her waist and as he got up, attempted to pull up his shorts. Akane pinned them down with her feet. "Why don't we leave our stuff here for the night? They won't be going anywhere," she said with a sly grin.  
  
"Umm, Ok-k-kay," he stammered.

* * *

With the fire stacked, the newlyweds were lying together on their camp bed. Ranma kept telling himself that they were just up to the next level in their relationship. He had gradually gotten used to sleeping with Akane with less material separating their bodies over the previous week. They had just reached the stage where they ran out of clothes to remove, hadn't they? Their roaming hands over each other's bodies while they were making out met with no resistance. Their bodies were closer than ever before, and he could feel more of her body heat radiating into his. This level of intimacy was much greater than before, but now that they were married there was nothing wrong with what they were doing together was there?  
  
He placed one hand on Akane's cheek and kissed her. When he looked into her eyes, he saw nothing but her love and devotion for him. 'No, there was nothing wrong with what they were doing. This was right.'   
  
Again looking deeper, he could see her need of something more, the something that he had been slightly afraid of. He had no idea of what the further activity would be like, or of how it would feel for Akane. This was new ground for both of them, but they will have the rest of their lives to learn and improve on any inadequate attributes. So he decided that if the matter arises, he would not oppose.  
  
As he came to a conclusion, his thoughts must have shown up on his face. Akane's hands roamed lower to Ranma's swelling member while watching his expression. At first he flinched, but then experienced a tingling sensation up and down his spine from her touch. With his unhindered arousal, his anxiety began to fade.  
  
"Are you okay with this?" Akane asked softly.  
  
He nodded while receiving shockwaves of strong emotions for his wife. Akane leaned towards him and kissed him deeply which he returned with as much passion as he could muster.  
  
While the pair consummated their marriage, the flickering fires danced their shadows across the cave walls.

* * *

Author's notes  
  
Sorry, just a tad bit late.  
  
Bit O research on Japanese wedding customs – poor results winged most of it (I think)  
  
Lost the muse during that time then had trouble figuring out how to end the chapter without getting too engrossed in their activities.  
  
Don't worry, I had the next chapter planned out ages ago, just need time to put it to story.


	5. And Then It Begins

The Sacrifice  
  
Chapter 4 - And Then It Begins  
  
Friday started with a cover of clouds overhead. The promise of rain to come, but the thing to darken the start to day for many people in Nerima, was the morning call of the local samurai wannabe.  
  
"Akane, you surely are a work of art! First you woo me with your incredible beauty, and then you deny our feelings by playing hard to get for over a year. Your playfulness has certainly strengthened my resolve for our love." Kuno stood in poise at the gates of Furinkin High. "Your three days of absence from my sight is really not needed to test the strength of our devotion. I assure you, there is no other whom deserves what I have to offer, and there is no other that I wish to give it to.  
  
"Please come back to me my love. My heart is yearning for your beauty to light my way."  
  
Nabiki watched his ranting from aside, a wicked grin plastered across her face. 'This is just the perfect opportunity to up the prices on the Akane prints. In this state he'll be likely to pay anything that I ask.' As she planed her sale strategy, her hands rubbed together and an evil cackle burst forth from her lips.  
  
After their first class, Nabiki wandered over to Kuno's desk and sat opposite him. Her sly expression on her face immediately drew his attention.  
  
"And what do I owe the pleasure of your company Nabiki Tendo?" he drawled.  
  
"Oh, just something that I believe might spark your interest," she replied while tracing circles on his desk with her finger.  
  
Kuno waited for a short moment, then "Well? What is it?" he continued in an impatient manner. He didn't appreciate distractions from his fantasies of Akane.  
  
Nabiki was enjoying her manipulations by drawing it out. "Oh I noticed that you have been pining for my sister the past few days..." She stopped to watch his reaction.  
  
At the mention of her sister, Kuno rushed to the edge of his seat and was giving Nabiki his every bit of attention. "Where is she? I prey thee do tell me! If she's with that demon Saotome, she needs rescuing!"  
  
"Oh, I'm sure that she's perfectly safe where she is, but I am not quite ready to divulge her location just yet. At least, I'm not sure you could afford it this early. Maybe next week, when the price is slightly more reasonable..."  
  
As she got up to leave, he grabbed her arm. "Just name your price. Surely there could be nothing that the Great House of Kuno could not offer that is worthy of my true love's location," he begged.  
  
'Bingo!' Nabiki silently cheered. She put on a forlorn expression and said "I'm sorry but that is just not possible at this time..." she sighed. "But if it would calm your nerves I could supply you with a rare selection of photos of your cherished one. Photos of her that may never be repeated again." She was laughing inside, 'Preparation of her wedding day! He won't know what hit him!'  
  
"I'll take them all!" he shouted as he took out his money and held it in Nabiki's face.  
  
"Hmm," she sounded. Looking at the large pile of money so quickly handed out to her, she felt a bit disappointed. She wanted to toy with him to make the deal sweeter on her side. She remained silent for a moment while she thought of how to draw it out a bit longer. She raised her eyes to Kuno, "I'm afraid it's not that simple. Because these shots are so rare, I'll have to release them slow-ly so that they would be more appreciated..." she paused. 'And now for the killing blow...' "Also since these are so rare, it would be terribly unfair to sell them all to one buyer. What about all of those other fans out there?"  
  
His eyes widened at that statement. 'Other people, with pictures of his beloved Akane, in unrepeatable scenarios!' "That's so unfair!" he sobbed.  
  
Nabiki was surprised at his response. 'The strong and noble Kuno, breaking down!? I'll have to tread carefully.' She took a deep breath. "I'll tell you what. I'll reserve the first one for you. I should have it ready for tomorrow morning, but the rest will be released daily, and sold to the highest bidder. I must warn you though; each one will cost more than the previous one. So make sure you don't short change yourself," and with that said she took the bundle of money from his hands and left.  
  
Back in her room that evening, Nabiki had all of the photos she took of the wedding spread out over her bed. She was sorting through them for a small series that will hide the purpose of the occasion with little doctoring, until the last one which will blow Kuno away.  
  
Akane was dressed in her night gown. She was facing slightly to the left with a serene, happy expression on her face.  
  
"It truly is a sight to see..."  
  
"And as I said, it's a rare selection. I don't think that I've ever seen her like that before."  
  
"How much? I must have it."  
  
"Well, I did say that it was rare, so it'll have to be more than my usual fee."  
  
"HOW MUCH!?"  
  
"Let's see... My usual for you is five thousand... Each one is going to be worth more than the previous... Make it ten thousand, and it's yours."  
  
"Done!" The money was under her nose before she could even blink.  
  
'Whoah! She reflexively took the money and buried it in her pocket. 'Now, how to do this next part?' "Kuno..." he pried his eyes of his latest purchase. "I'm going to make an announcement over the P.A system here to alert everyone who may be interested in the acquisition of these prints. I suggest hiding that photo from the rest of the school. You don't want it to get wrecked."  
  
He looked at the maniacal grin on her face. "What are you planning to do?" he asked warily.  
  
She looked at him with a puzzled look. "You are asking me of what MY plans are? Surely you haven't forgotten who I am. When have I ever divulged my plans to anyone?" her gaze softened a bit. "I'm just warning you, that the photo you are holding may be worth more than you paid for. Just keep it safe."  
  
Over the P.A system...  
  
Everyone, I have an announcement to make.  
Nabiki Tendo here, and I have to alert you to a sale of rare photos of my sister Akane.  
These photos are of a day in her life that is most likely to never be repeated.  
Since these are so unique, I will have to charge more than my standard. Also since there are only six left that I am willing to sell, I will hold an auction everyday for the next six days until they are sold.  
The first was purchased be Tatewaki Kuno, for ten thousand yen. The rest will be of increasing value.  
The auctions will be held in the hall at 7am.  
  
Oh and another reason why these shots will be so much more valuable than the others is because I believe that this will be the last opportunity that I may get to sell photos of Akane openly to the public. Good day to you all, and I shall see you tomorrow morning.  
  
Silence proceeded the announcement, where everyone looked at each other. Then as one, they all swarmed Kuno.  
  
"Give us a look!"  
  
"Yeah show us!"  
  
"I'll pay 11 thousand for it!"  
  
"I'll pay fifteen!"  
  
"How come you get first dibs?"  
  
"Yeah! Why didn't you tell us about it Kuno?" they all closed in.  
  
For the first time ever, Kuno's school fellows did not look up to him. No, they were scowling at him. He slowly began to back away, clutching to his breast pocket, protecting the most sacred commodity in the school ground.  
  
He straightened his posture and puffed out his chest. "The Noble House of Kuno has no need to tell any of it's inferiors about its own business," he said while trying to look imposing.  
  
It didn't work. The crowd kept advancing on him.  
  
He pulled out his bokken and waved it about menacingly. "Halt you knaves!" he commanded.  
  
Too fuelled with the knowledge of there being only six photos left, they didn't hear a word of Kuno's rant. They all HAD to get their hands on his picture.  
  
For an instant, Kuno had a glimpse of what he had forced onto Akane every morning for the past year; a pack of hungry wolves. Only used to fighting off one opponent at a time, he saw no hope of winning while protecting his treasure. His only chance was... He looked to the side of the room.  
  
Glass exploded outside from the window, and with it soared the blue samurai garbed kendoist. It was immediately followed by a downpour of students. After landing badly on the field, he tore from the school grounds and fled to safety. Behind him lay the unconscious bodies his fellow students that followed him out from the third floor window.  
  
Watching the dust clouds in the distance, Nabiki contemplated what she was unleashing. 'Another opportunity to make a killing in video and snapshots. The boys fighting over a few pictures!' She laughed to herself while wondering whether the girls, or some comedy video company would turn out the bigger profits.  
  
The sun was peaking through a small gap in the clouds, and shone over the roofs of the houses, the morning birds were chirping, and the grass was wet from the night time rain, but that didn't stop the ruckus at the school.  
  
All of Akane's fans, 'The Hentai Brigade', were swarming the school grounds. Everyone wanted to get one of the last pictures of the object of their fantasies. None of the shoves, fists, elbows, or foot stomps from the other boys would deter them.  
  
"Gee, look at them!" Nabiki waved her arm, pointing out the crowd to her minions. "Pathetic aren't they girls?"  
  
They all nodded with the standard Nabiki smirks on their faces.  
  
"Okay, here's what I want you to do. I want full coverage of these auctions. Get a full 360 degree span of everything that goes on in there. Any fights or squabbles amongst them especially. Use the zoom and get close ups of all action. It would probably be best if you get views from above their heads, but if one of you could risk getting close shots of being amongst them, it would also prove to be affective."  
  
"Hai Sensei!" the three girls chorused.  
  
"Now I'll wait for about ten minutes for you to get set up and positioned, and then I'll head out there and stir them up some more before starting this killing sale! Now get going."  
  
Ten minutes later...  
  
"Look! There's Nabiki." The crowd roared and lurched forward, mashing those at the front into the stage. Several boys were picked up and thrown to the back so the others could get closer. It was pure pandemonium!  
  
The squeal of the megaphone quieted them down though.  
  
"Thankyou for coming to order. Before I start the bidding I will go over the rules.  
  
"Rule #1. I have the final say in who made the higher bid first.  
  
"Rule #2. The highest bidder must have the cash on hand as I will be proceeding with the exchange immediately after the auction.  
  
"Rule #3. I will take no responsibility for any damages that may occur during and after the sale takes place. There will be no reprints, so take care of the picture if you buy it.  
  
"And rule #4. If anyone breaks any of these rules they will be severely punished," she finished with a 'death' glare. A synchronous gulp came from the mob.  
  
"Good. Now that that's all cleared up we can begin.  
  
"Today's picture is of Akane lying in bed, smiling in her sleep. This was taken before she was woken for the special day.  
"The bidding shall start at fifteen thousand yen.  
  
"Yeah I hear twenty. Do I hear twenty five?"  
  
"Thirty!"  
  
"Thirty five!"  
  
Then a shout carried over them which drove them to silence.  
  
"One hundred!"  
  
Nabiki spluttered. "Did I hear one hundred thousand Kuno?" The waving bokken replied in the affirmative.  
  
"Any higher bids?" she asked softly into the microphone. Silence answered her. "Okay, sold to Kuno for one hundred thousand yen. Come forward Kuno and settle your account. The crowd split down the middle with mutterings and curses towards the bokken wielding idiot as he approached the front.  
  
After a brief exchange of hands, Kuno's wallet was lightened, and he was holding his prize. With a short glimpse at his new possession, his face lighted up with glee and he let out a high pitched cheer. The crowd swore at his voicing which prompted him to turn back to his fellow students.  
  
"You all should know by now that is no one better than those of the Great House of Kuno! So there is no one here more deserving than I," he proudly said.  
  
"He's right. There IS no one more deserving than what he's going to get!" some one called out. Kuno's face fell as the angry mob surrounding him made their intentions clear. So he made a wise decision and ran away from the area.  
  
"GET HIM!" and the mob swarmed after him.  
  
The sudden lack of persons in the building was a bit eerie after the event. 'At least it will all be on tape to see it again.  
  
"And cut!" Nabiki called to her helpers. They turned their surveillance equipment off and approached her. "Well done all of you. I think it went rather well. However I think it could have been a bit better."  
  
"What do you mean Sensei?" one of them asked.  
  
"Kuno set the final price! No one out bid his first offer! We could have gotten so much more out of him by the way he was acting."  
  
"What do you suggest we do? Place some false bidders in there?"  
  
Nabiki's face split into an evil grin. "I see you are learning well. That's exactly what we are going to do. But it will take a bit of work to pull it off. As most people here know who we are, it will seem that I am breaking my own rules if you three were calling out..."  
  
"Damn! So how could we do it?" Nabiki thought.  
  
A few minutes later, another smirk swept across her face. "Got it! Let's take a visit to our favourite store after school today."  
  
The next day  
  
"Today's picture is of my sister with stars in her eyes looking at something out of view."  
  
"Bidding shall start at thirty thousand yen.  
  
"Do I hear thirty five?"  
  
"Forty."  
  
"Forty five..."  
  
"Eighty!" was heard from a spot within the crowd.  
  
Nabiki pointed to a nervous looking boy who definitely did not have the money. "I hear eighty! Do I hear more?"  
  
"One hundred!" was shouted from the other side of the crowd.  
  
"I hear one hundred thousand." She said pointing to the area it came from.  
  
"One twenty!"  
  
"One forty!"  
  
"One sixty!"  
  
Kuno was surprised the bid had gotten that high already without him. He had to get that picture! Deciding to go significantly higher than the others to deter them from continuing, "Two hundred!" he shouted.  
  
"Two twenty!" was called back.  
  
"Two forty!"  
  
Kuno topped them off with, "Two sixty!"  
  
There was a brief pause before his competition raised their bid.  
  
"Two sixty five."  
  
"Two sixty eight."  
  
Both callers seemed unsure whether they could continue much further. But to ensure that he got the picture, Kuno raised the bid again.  
  
"Two eighty!"  
  
Silence proceeded his call.  
  
"Sold to Kuno, for two hundred and eighty thousand yen. Please come forward and settle your account."  
  
As he made his way forward, the crowd remained quiet. They were in shock! First it was that the bid managed to get so high, but mostly from the fact that Nabiki was pointing to people amongst the students that would be extremely unlikely to come across that amount of money! 'What if Kuno didn't raise his bid? How could they possibly manage to settle the bill?'  
  
They were broken from their moment of shocked silence by another one of Kuno's pompous statements. "Ha ha ha. You should know by now to respect your betters. And the Great House of Kuno never loses!"  
  
The crowd's response was the same as the previous time.  
  
"GET HIM!"  
  
The grounds were vacated very quickly after Kuno's retreating figure.  
  
Nabiki met with her minions soon after. "That was incredible! I couldn't believe that worked!" one of them said.  
  
"This is 'The Blue Thunder' we are talking about. He is so easy to manipulate!"  
  
"That's true Sensei."  
  
"So did you recover the planted voice synthesises from the students?"  
  
"Yes. And they are ready to be used again tomorrow."  
  
"Excellent!" Nabiki cackled.  
  
The next morning started with similar results: Kuno pushed the bid to his upper limits of his wallet, while Nabiki celebrated with champagne and planed for the next scam.  
  
However after the gathering, school was back in for the week... Well, after all of the male students gave up on their chase of the subject of their ire. But to the pleasure of the staff, the students were quiet and subdued from their earlier loss. The teachers couldn't let such an opportunity pass without using it to their advantage, so they managed to get through the day's work relatively early. Thus the mall received the surplus of customers an hour ahead of schedule.  
  
On the downside, the egomaniac was let loose before anyone had gathered up their nerves.  
  
"Oh, my dear Akane. Seeing you so lively brings joy to my heart." Looking down at the image of Akane swirling a length of white lace-ribbon overhead, "Your grace alone makes my yearning swell beyond limits! Until we meet again, I must prepare for tomorrow to ensure none of the unworthy may glimpse the picture of your beauty."  
  
He put the photo away and walked to the bank to withdraw some more money from the family account.  
  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY CARD IS CANCELLED?" Kuno yelled at the bank teller.  
  
"Sir, please keep you voice down. The bank had received the instruction to..."  
  
"WHO COULD POSSIBLY HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO KEEP THE GREAT HOUSE OF KUNO AWAY FROM THEIR WEALTH?" he interrupted.  
  
"The card was cancelled by the account owner, Mr Kuno himself. Perhaps you should talk to him about it."  
  
The front doors of the Kuno manor slammed open as the young master stormed his way in.  
  
"FATHER," he shouted. The halls echoed as the thunderous foot falls of the young master marched angrily to his father's office. "I DEMAND AN EXPLANATION!"  
  
Kuno Senior looked up from his account papers with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"WHY HAVE YOU BARRED MY ACCESS TO THE FAMILY WEALTH?"  
  
His father looked at him with a blank expression for a moment, dropped the papers he was holding in front of his son, and leant back into his chair. "Need I remind you that you do not hold exclusive rights to the family wealth?"  
  
"WHAT?" Tatewakai flabbergasted.  
  
"The Kuno estate is still under my name. Though I permit you access to the accounts, they are not for you to squander until it dries up."  
  
"I..." Kuno started to say, but his father overrode him.  
  
"I know of your infatuation, and of your dealings with the Tendos. I must say, your actions are disgracing the image of the family." He stood up and walked over to the window, his arms held behind his back. "I have let you continue with your obsession, cutting into the family's profit for long enough. You have drawn more money for your wants than the rest of us out together. Such large expenditures of money draws the unwanted attention of the law. I have no intention to allow that to happen to our high and noble family. If you wish to continue with your outrageous action, do not let it be led back to our family."  
  
"But..."  
  
"That is all. Now leave my office. I have more work to do."  
  
The young Kuno, fuming, stood up and left the room muttering to himself.  
  
Kuno slammed his bedroom door shut after he entered. "That pompous old fool. Cutting me off when on a mission of great importance!" he quickly walked over to one side of his room that he has made into a shrine dedicated to Akane Tendo. He placed the latest photo on the mantle and knelt down before it.  
  
"Oh my goddess of beauty, I have devoted everything I have for you. But I have now come across an impediment." He hung his head.  
  
"A test! You are testing me my love. You are testing how far my devotion goes for you. That's it!" he jumped to his feet. "That's it isn't it? I must find a way to purchase the last of your pictures to show you my worth. But how to do it?" his voice trailed off.  
  
While pacing, his eyes glanced over the objects in his room. It was full of samurai collectables, swords, ancient armour, and expensive models of medieval swordsmen. Awareness suddenly sank in. He figured out what he must do, what his goddess was asking of him. "Tis indeed a test. A great test." But looking once again at all of the Akane pictures, imagining them all looking down at him, goading him into turning away, his determination kept him from failing. "No. No I will not fail you."  
  
Prying his eyes away from the shrine, he called out for his servants. "Quick!" he started pulling his samurai collection down. "Gather these. I am going to town and sell these to a fine weapons collector. I am sure that this will please my love..." he trailed off. His servants just rolled their eyes as they went about their orders.  
  
The next morning  
  
"Did you hear?"  
  
"Hear what?"  
  
"Kuno has been denied access to the family's money."  
  
"Really?! That means we have a chance of winning the next bid!" several of the gathered boys cheered, but they soon stopped and leered at each other as they realised that it was 'every man for themselves' again.  
  
"Okay boys," Nabiki called as she tapped the podium. "Today's picture is of Akane raising her glass for a toast.  
  
"Bidding shall start at forty five thousand yen."  
  
"Forty seven!"  
  
"Forty nine!"  
  
"Fifty!"  
  
Since they thought Kuno was without money, they could keep the bid low so 'normal' people could participate. But to their displeasure, the one voice they didn't want to hear that morning sounded over the crowd.  
  
"One hundred!"  
  
The crowd groaned. The rumour was just too good to be true.  
  
"One fifty!" The biggest jump yet came from amongst the crowd.  
  
"One seventy!"  
  
"Two hundred!" called Kuno as he began to sweat. He got a substantial amount for his samurai collection, but once the kitty is empty, he'll have to refill it with something else. It was causing him worry of thinking about what it might be.  
  
"Two thirty!"  
  
"Two sixty!"  
  
"Two eighty!" Kuno tried.  
  
"Three hundred!"  
  
"Three twenty!" were their replies.  
  
"Three thirty!" Kuno called.  
  
"Three forty!"  
  
"Three forty five!"  
  
"Three fifty!" Kuno squinted, waiting for another bid.  
  
"Sold to Kuno, for three hundred and fifty thousand yen." Nabiki announced.  
  
The crowd groaned again. 'When will we ever get a chance?' Of course not! Not while Kuno is around. At least he isn't getting it his own way since some people are giving him competition. But no one has yet to figure out who amongst them were outbidding Kuno. A few people thought they recognised the voices, but when they confronted their friends about it, the idea was tossed away with their denials.  
  
As Kuno went forward to deal with his purchase, he was preoccupied with the dilemma he was facing. With the trend of the going prices he has been paying, he will soon be falling short. 'It will be very close for tomorrow's picture, but I will definitely need more for the last one!' he thought. He needed to find something else he could sell. But what else did he have that he could sell? All he had left was...  
  
No! He couldn't part with that. Could he? That was his image!  
  
While he was thinking to himself, he managed to go one morning without insulting everyone else about his grand superiority over them, so the day started without a grand chase around the neighbourhood. Although Kuno wasn't run down from the morning's antics, he passed through the day quiet and recluse, too bothered with what he may have to part with.  
  
Upon arriving home from school, Kuno head straight to his dojo. There lay his most prised possessions: his samurai robes and steel katana. Both once belonged to one of his great ancestors who Kuno worshipped. It was a life long dream of nearing the skill in the sword with what it was once used with. The picture of himself standing high in victory with the sword in hand was his goal in life.  
  
The rest of the evening, he spent practising his form with swift and fluid motions. Never leaving the dojo for supper, he used his time wisely for a memory to cherish... because come tomorrow, all that will be left, will be the dream of what may have been.  
  
Wednesday  
  
"Roll up, Roll up. The second last photo is of Akane dressed in a beautiful kimono," Nabiki called out.  
  
"The price will start at fifty thousand yen.  
  
"Begin!"  
  
"Fifty two!" one of the freshmen shouted.  
  
"Fifty four!" called another.  
  
"Seventy!" No one missed the lack of enthusiasm in his voice. Nabiki quickly warned her minions to be careful. The last thing they needed was for Kuno to lose the bid and have her manipulations exposed when no one approaches the front.  
  
"Ninety!" Kuno's first competition shouted.  
  
"One hundred!" replied the other. Nabiki ground her teeth at their lack of caution after her warning, but to her relief, Kuno continued as he had previously.  
  
"One thirty!"  
  
"One fifty!"  
  
"One eighty!"  
  
"Two hundred!" Kuno couldn't do anything to stop the increasing price, but keep up. It would not do him good to give up after all he had sacrificed. Yet the dwindling balance of his wallet did not help his darkening mood.  
  
"Two forty!"  
  
"Two seventy!"  
  
'Damn!' Kuno thought. The other bidders were using the same tactic that he started with; significantly increase the bid to impress on the others that he had no worry about spending lots of money and encourage them to quit while they could. Yet Kuno couldn't give up. "Three hundred!"  
  
"Three twenty!"  
  
"Three fifty!"  
  
'Oh well, I can't do anything about it.' "Three seventy!"  
  
There was a brief silence, then "Sold!"  
  
Kuno made his way slowly forward to pay his dues, made the exchange, then left the building. His recent triumph did not have the accompanied feeling with it. The approaching loss of his heirloom sat heavily in his heart, and it gave him no mind to bother staying the day at school.  
  
In a depressed state, he headed out of he school grounds and towards the Kuno mansion to spend his last moments with his samurai gear. With the sudden downpour of rain soaking into his clothes, made his long walk home.  
  
The day went rather well for Nabiki; she made another large sum of money, Kuno kept out of her hair, and she started to compile a documentary on 'Crazed, rich, hormonal boys and at what lengths they would do to get what they want'. To finish the day on a high note, she was foretelling how the sale of the final photo will increase her account by a considerable amount. So happy she was that she was unconsciously skipping down the road and splashing in the puddles like a seven year old child playing in the rain, rather than the cold hearted money grubbing bitch she was famous for. Her happy mood even seemed to match Kasumi's pleasant demeanour when she arrived home, but as most good things usually come to an end, her carefree mood had to die and revert itself to unease...  
  
It wasn't due to concern of how her sister might be fairing in the foul weather, nor was it due to the trouble Ranma may have been facing with having to deal with his curse in such rain. It was due to the fact that they decided to return home the evening before the last photo was sold!  
  
"Oh my!" Kasumi voiced when she got a look at the bedraggled sight that the newlyweds made when they appeared at the door. Both were soaked to their skin with their clothes dripping muddy water all over the door mats. Akane was holding the larger backpack this time, clearly having some trouble with it. But the main reason she was carrying it was obvious: Ranma, in cursed form, was barely standing. She had her arm over Akane's shoulders, and was just holding her other high enough from touching the ground. As they stepped over the threshold of the doorway, they both called "We're home," then collapsed into a heap on the floor.  
  
A few hours had elapsed before Akane and Ranma managed to warm up with a hot relaxing bath after their trek through mud and rain. But those precious few hours were all they got before the rest of the house swarmed them for details about their honeymoon/training trip.  
  
"Did you two enjoy yourselves?"  
  
"Yeah, what did you get 'up' to?"  
  
"Nabiki!" Kasumi exclaimed.  
  
"How did your training go?"  
  
They both had to fight off their blushes at Nabiki's implication before they could start to form answers for them. Ranma, back in his normal form, looked at Akane, and then started to tell the awaiting audience about their trip, omitting all of the activities that Nabiki was referring to.  
  
"Well, we didn't get there till late in the afternoon, b-but after the long hike, we set camp in a cave, which we were lllucky to have done due to the weather, and spent some time in a hot spring there."  
  
He glanced over to Akane, and then continued on, "We didn't start training until the next day, when I got Akane to work on her balance, aerial attacks, and her awareness of her surroundings, while she helped me with the Nnneko-ken and my curse. We got a few good days of training in b-before the weather turned nasty. After that we were pretty much confined to the cave."  
  
"But I kept Ranma up on familiarising himself to his cursed form," Akane continued. "And lucky he did. As the rain refused to cease for our trip back, he had to spend all of his time that way. We had a much harder time on the way back due to the mud, and Ranma had to go at a slower pace, fighting off the temptation of letting Neko out while making sure I was okay." She smiled at Ranma and gave his hand a squeeze. "But I thought he did rather well considering."  
  
"Aren't you going to tell us anything about your interactions together," Nabiki pried.  
  
"No way!" Akane retorted. "Get your own fantasies!"  
  
"Oh my!"  
  
Soun chuckled at the play between his daughters.  
  
"Don't encourage her Pops!" Akane snapped. But when Ranma caught how her face looked when she crossed her eyebrows, he started to laugh too. "Now don't you start."  
  
"Sorry Akane, but that just looked t-too cute," he said while pointing at her forehead.  
  
"Humph!" she sounded while turning, but was immediately pulled back and hugged tightly to Ranma's chest.  
  
Kasumi smiled at their interaction. "Oh well. It looks like you two are getting along just fine. But now that it's getting late, we should probably head off to bed."  
  
"Yeah," Nabiki added. "You still have to christen your room!"  
  
"Nabiki! Stop being so childish!" Soun reprimanded.  
  
"Oh yeah, are you going to go straight back to school tomorrow, or have the rest of the week off?" Kasumi asked. "I don't know whether I should make sure you are both up early in the morning."  
  
They looked at each other with questioning faces, but it was Akane who answered. "Well, usually I'd say that I would go back, but considering the weather, and the trouble we've had with it the past few days, I think we should take the rest of the week off. Hopefully it would clear up before we go back."  
  
Nabiki sighed in relief. That means that there would be time to finish off her dealings at school before Akane can find out about it. But to be sure that they don't expect anything, she had to misdirect their opinion of her for the time being. "Oh well then. Since I am going to school," she started, trying to sound like she had a bit of jealousy in her voice, "I must go to sleep soon so I wake up in time. Try not to make too much noise. The walls are pretty thin," and she left the couple at the table with their faces flushing crimson.  
  
"Yeah," Ranma said to his wife. "I could probably do with some sleep too. You coming Akane?" He got up from the table, offered his hand which Akane took, and helped her to her feet. "Good night Kasumi, Soun."  
  
"Yeah, we'll see you in the morning," Akane said mid yawn, before they climbed the staircase to their new bedroom.  
  
"Well, things are certainly getting better around here," Soun remarked after the retreating teenagers.  
  
"Hmm. It seems so. She seems so much happier now that she has someone to share her life with. But aside from that, they are all correct."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"We should all be getting some sleep."  
  
"That's true. Goodnight Kasumi."  
  
"Goodnight Dad."  
  
The world blurred for a moment, then slowly came back into focus. The ground started moving oddly. 'Hang on!' Akane thought. 'I'm not on the ground. Where am I?' she opened her eyes and looked around. She was on a bed that wasn't hers, in a room that looked slightly familiar. She wasn't alone either, next to her, shaking her shoulder was Ranma. Her face cracked into a smile. "Good morning. Pleasant dreams?"  
  
"Sure. I had all the inspiration next to me," Ranma spoke softly. "But it's now time to get up."  
  
"Too early, and I'm so comfortable..." she groaned.  
  
"I know this is much better to lie on than those camping mattresses," he hit the futon beneath them. "But now that we're home, you can't start to slack off from your training. You need to keep it up. So it's time to get up."  
  
"Nooo..." she rolled over, wrapping her arm around Ranma's torso. "Bit longer."  
  
"No can do." As he got up, Akane was dragged up with him, hanging from his shoulder.  
  
She snapped awake as the blanket fell and the cool morning air hit her. "It's cold!" she shivered.  
  
"That's why we're going to the dojo, to get your blood pumping. Then you won't be cold. Besides, I need to get a bit of a workout. Cramped up in that cave for a few days due to the rain didn't go too well with me." He smiled down at her, "Although we did get enough exercise then, we needed a larger space. Now that we have it, I am determined to make the most of it. And you're coming with me, dressed or not."  
  
"Eek!" she shrieked. "Okay, okay," she said in defeat, so they both got dressed and went about their morning workout.  
  
The alarm clock was the worst sound Nabiki had ever heard. That was the purpose! A sound so horrible that upon hearing it, the user immediately develops violent tendencies, which will not fade, until the offensive noise maker had been silenced by the most destructive means. Nabiki, who was definitely not a morning person, had to get up early to get a start on her monetary schemes. And today was definitely not a day to be late! In fact it was a day to be really early! It was the day that her biggest operation comes to completion! So to make sure that she got up in time, she fixed her alarm clock to the ceiling, where she can't smash it silent without climbing on a chair. A most ingenious system for her time demanding hobby. It always gets her up, but not normally with a good disposition.  
  
Her covers were thrown aside, her chair brought over from the other side of the room, a stretched arm plucking the hateful object from its perch, and a face that could melt the polar ice caps looked upon it with loathing.  
  
Not everyone thought the early hours were bad. In fact many of the locals enjoyed the tranquillity of the sun slowly peaking over the horizon. Even though filtered through clouds, the sun was usually nature's way of telling the sleeping creatures to awaken.  
  
A small flock of birds had made their home among the trees of the local park. Most of which were stretching their limbs for their morning flight. Once both wings had the muscles loosened after a night of inactivity, and a fresh surge of blood flow through the body, the birds flapped their wings and launched into the crisp morning air.  
  
Falling into formation, the flock were high up in the air gliding over the slight updrafts of wind. These birds experienced the ultimate high when soaring through the skies amongst their own kind. They didn't take very well to other species, which quite often flew with different styles that clashed and lost the grace with which flight should be overflowing. Therefore any other type of bird was chased away by this particular flock. It was their airspace and theirs alone!  
  
Hark! A foreign bird approaches! By the sound of it, it was a tone deaf songbird. The flock altered its course to head off the obscene fowl.  
  
Coming within sight, the flock leaders noticed that their target not only had a terrible voice, but it also was an eyesore. It was a round, fat creature, with short stumpy wings, and totally lacked grace of any kind. It HAD to be put down! The leader of the flock inclined its head to further minimise air resistance for a faster approach, and for a more effective attack.  
  
The gap between them began to close. At a shorter distance, the hunters noticed that their prey had a very stupid way of flying; it held its wings up at ineffective angles for holding the air, and was swinging its head back and forth between them.  
  
The songbird was getting louder and starting to really irritate the local gang, so they prepared to strike in three.  
Two.  
One.  
And THOCK! The silver alarm clock smashed through them, reducing their number by half. As such it is nature to hammer down the nail that stands up the tallest.  
  
At the Kuno mansion, Tatewakai stood in school uniform, in front of a tall mirror, eyeing his current state of dress. "Ah, what a poor sight it is. To see one of a great house reduced to appear as one of the commoners. But for such a holy purpose! Nothing is too great a task to do for one of such beauty of Akane Tendo!"  
  
He turned from his reflection and struck a pose, the loss of his most prised heirlooms long forgotten. "Know this, when upon this morn is over, the future of my dear Akane shall be safe as the last portrait shall be saved from the hands of those unworthy peasants!" He lowered his arm to clutch at his breast, while he ranted with hearts in his eyes, "Where upon your return, you will be moved by my valour, and will shine down thy love on me with a kiss." With that thought in mind, he rushed from his room and out of the house.  
  
Many of the residents of the higher class end of Nerima were early rising people, so it was not strange for many people to witness the flight of one Tatewakai Kuno, from the gates of his house. The one thing that was strange was the fact that as soon as the young Kuno entered the grounds of public domain, everyone froze in their spot at the sight that beheld them.  
  
As Kuno ran, be begun to notice the strange behaviour of his neighbours, the looks of shock horror on their faces. While everyone around him were stunned at the absence of the young noble's samurai robes which he had always worn out in public, Kuno interpreted their expressions as revulsion. Revulsion at the idea that one of a great family could sell off their image, just for the sake of gaining money.  
  
'No!' he thought. It was for a worthy cause. But the experience of walking down the path, and having several dead birds fall from the sky above him, did little to ease his mind.  
  
Nabiki ran down the stairs, hoping to get out of the house before anyone noticed her, especially Akane! But alas, it was not to be. As she was nearing the family room, her younger sister and Ranma came in from the dojo.  
  
"Morning Sis!" Akane greeted.  
  
Nabiki stumbled. "W-What are you doing up so early?"  
  
"Just finished our morning workout."  
  
"Yeah. It's so much better having a place dry to practise when the ground is wet," added Ranma.  
  
"Sure," Nabiki couldn't think how to reply to that. "Oh well, enjoy your day. I'll see you both later."  
  
"Where are you going so early?" Akane asked.  
  
"Umm," Nabiki hadn't counted on this. "Sorrycan'ttalknowgottagobye!" she rushed out the door before they could continue on with their conversation.  
  
"What was that about?" Ranma asked.  
  
Akane shrugged.  
  
Nabiki arrived at school a bit flustered. She was acting nervous around her sister. And running away like that was really unlike her. It made her feel like she was losing control, and for that she would need to prove that she still had it.  
  
She watched as a few more boys came in for the final picture. Her evil grin returned. She would grill Kuno for everything he had for the last photo, not that she wasn't already going to do that, but now she had a greater need for success! She had to get the feeling that her public face she put up was still standing strong!  
  
A few more minutes passed as the rest of the prospective buyers arrived. She hadn't noticed Kuno yet, but he would have to be out there somewhere. There was no way that he would miss out on his last opportunity of another photo of Akane. At the thought Nabiki chuckled. 'Just wait till he finds out what the photo is of.' It would leave him no doubt that it will indeed be the last photo of Akane he would buy if he holds any honour, twisted or not.  
  
She looked at her watch as it ticked the last seconds until seven. She lifted the megaphone to her mouth and began. "Glad you could all make it.  
  
"The last photo," she held up a white envelope, "will stay unopened until the end of the auction. And no I will not tell you what it is of, just that one of the happiest moments and purpose of the day is captured in the image.  
"Bidding shall start at fifty five thousand!"  
  
The usual bunch of boys started off with the small offers, but it was the voice of Kuno that got everyone's attention. No one had noticed his presence.  
  
Starting high, he thought he could bypass the initial battle, as no doubt the final price would be high, 'just hopefully not too high!' he thought. "One hundred and fifty!"  
  
All eyes turned in his direction. There was the arrogant self-absorbed kendoist, yet he was dressed in such a way that he looked no different from the rest. Such a change did not go unnoticed! Nabiki sent the signal to her minions to play it tough, err, tough for Kuno.  
  
"One ninety!"  
  
"Two forty!"  
  
"Two seventy," Kuno's voice quailed. The price had increased in larger jumps than he thought it would.  
  
"Three hundred!  
  
"Three thirty!"  
  
"Three fifty!" Kuno called, thinking that it was getting bad.  
  
"Three seventy!"  
  
"Three ninety!"  
  
Kuno checked his wallet, gulped, and said "Three ninety five."  
  
"Four hundred!"  
  
'Not too bad,' Kuno thought, but just as he was about to raise it again for his last bid...  
  
"Four hundred and ten!" the mysterious bidder announced.  
  
"WHAT?!" Kuno shouted. "NOOO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! THAT PHOTO IS MINE! ONLY I AM WORTHY OF IT! I CHALLENGE THEE!" he charged into the crowd, violently swinging his wooden sword, and knocking all that were in his way down. Those to the side of his warpath who saw their comrades being severely injured shouted in warning and started to flee for the exits of the building.  
  
Kuno was left circling dangerously around the area that the offending bidder was in. He eyed them all, and found to his satisfaction that they were either nursing their wounds, or unconscious. When he believed that they were not going to hinder his quest any more, he ran to Nabiki, dropped the contents of his wallet in her hands, and then snatched the envelope holding the last photo from her grasp.  
  
When he fled from the hall, Nabiki was left standing in horror, to look over the results of the monster she had unleashed.  
  
Sirens waled in the distance. The sound startling the neighbourhood, as many of the people were martial artists, there was hardly any need for such emergency services. Crime was usually scared away by the expert fighters, and since they were of such skill, little to no harm was usually caused to people who could not handle it. The code of honour for martial artists prevented that.  
  
"I wonder what's going on out there," Akane said.  
  
Ranma looked out the door. "It doesn't look as though it will rain soon. Want to go and have a look?"  
  
"Sure. Let's go."  
  
They traced the noise down to the school grounds. Several ambulance vans and police cars were parked at the entrance.  
  
"This looks more intense than anything else I've seen here," Akane remarked.  
  
"It all seems to centre about the hall," he pointed.  
  
Inside they found several people sporting severe injuries, bandaged up, and some on gurneys ready to be carted off to the general hospital. In the corner more people were being interviewed by the police. One of them was Nabiki. Akane and Ranma made their way over to see what it was all about.  
  
"Can you please tell me what was going on here this morning Miss," one of the constables asked.  
  
"Umm," Nabiki felt like she was under the spotlight for a change and she didn't like it. "I was selling the last picture of my sister's wedding to the highest bidder." Akane narrowed her eyes when overhearing this. "I guess that the price got too high for one of her more enthusiastic admirers, and then he became violent and attacked everyone."  
  
"Do you know the name of the violent offender?"  
  
"Yes, his name is Tatewakai Kuno."  
  
"Kuno!" the policeman exclaimed. He whispered a few comments with his colleagues. Akane growled.  
  
"Do you have any idea why he may behave like that? Isn't it out of character for one of a noble family to misbehave in such a way?"  
  
Nabiki laughed. "For Kuno?! Definitely not! He has been like that for a while now. He has some backward way of thinking and made an announcement to the rest of the school that no one may date my younger sister until they beat her in a challenge of combat. Since then almost all the male division of the students have been ambushing her in the morning as she arrives. Kuno of all people normally waits until she finishes fighting the rest, hoping that she may have exhausted herself before he makes his attempt. He often rants about him being an honourable samurai but in reality he acts in a way that says quite the opposite."  
  
"Hmm," the policeman sounded while making notes on what he heard. "You do realise that you selling pictures of a married woman to people who have done everything they could to date her is asking for trouble." He paused to let his comment sink in. Nabiki twitched under his scrutiny. "Is there anything else you can tell me?"  
  
Nabiki, her sense of confidence fading, "Umm, her fiancé first showed up at school on Monday last week, and Kuno attacked him as soon as he found out who he was, while claiming that Akane was his."  
  
"This doesn't sound good. Thankyou for your time. If there is anything else you can think of later, please give us a call," he said and handed her a card.  
  
Nabiki nodded and left the policemen's influence, just to find herself facing an angry Akane. "Ahh," She choked off. "Hi Sis! How are you doing?"  
  
"Nabiki," Akane grabbed her by the arm, and spoke in a soft controlled manner. "We are going to have a looong talk about you stepping beyond your boundaries."  
  
The phone rang at the Kuno estate.  
  
"Hello, House of Kuno here. May I help you?"  
  
"YOU'VE GOT TO GET ME OUT OF HERE!"  
  
"Master Kuno, is that you?" the servant asked.  
  
"YES! THE LOCAL POLICEMEN HAVE FORGOTTEN THEIR PLACE AND ARRESTED ME! COME AND GET ME OUT OF HERE!"  
  
"Yes Sir. I should be down there as soon as possible."  
  
"We first pulled him in when he was charging down the streets waving his wooden sword around at anyone who was unfortunate to be in his path. He was shouting about fiends trying to take his Goddess away.  
"But soon after that we got in a call from another disturbance at the local school. A lot of people were assaulted when they were all attending an auction for someone's wedding photos, and the price went over his limit."  
  
"Yes. Young Master had his access to the family accounts barred a few days ago when Sir Kuno found that large sums of money were being withdrawn for the auctions in question. After that, Master took his entire samurai collection to sell for the last three pictures. I believe that he held some of those items most highly because they were from his great family's heritage."  
  
"I see. So due to the loss of these special items of his, just to miss out of gaining the intended object, he threw a fit of violent rage."  
  
"Umm," the servant started, not sure if he should be saying these things about his master. "Y-y-yes."  
  
"So, the pompous Tatewakai Kuno, 'The Blue Thunder of Furinkin High' is just a rich spoiled brat."  
  
The servant hung his head, took a deep breath, and said, "Yes, I'm afraid so. P-please don't tell anyone I said that," he stammered nervously.  
  
The law enforcer smiled. "Don't you worry. That was just my conclusion." He looked around, "Now that you agree, would you like to have a say in his punishment?"  
  
"W-what do you have in mind?"  
  
The constable's grin widened.  
  
"SIX MONTHS COMMUNITY SERVICE! HOW DARE THEY? TREATING THEIR SUPERIORS LIKE SERVANTS! THEY SHOULD BE PUNISHED FOR SUCH DISHONOUR!"  
  
"Umm," the servant said. He stopped himself for correcting Kuno on his misguided suggestion since it was his punishment for behaving in such a way. He looked down at the manila envelope that he was given when his master was being discharged. "Here are your artefacts that were confiscated Master." It was quickly snatched away.  
  
Kuno immediately opened it up and pulled out the small while envelope which contained his trophy for the day's actions. With great excitement he flipped the package open, and slid the picture out for a brief glance.  
  
"Ah my dear Akane. Tis truly your finest moment. To be held in the arms of your..." he trailed off. He looked back down at the photograph and recognised it for what it really was; his worst nightmare! It was a picture of Akane, in lip lock with Ranma Saotome, while dressed in what was obviously a wedding kimono!  
  
The world crumbled around him! He had sacrificed everything he had held dearly to him for the last images of his one true love, just to get it spat back in his face. He had nothing left but his name. And what a name it is! A laughing stock to the community after what rumours that calculative Nabiki Tendo will most likely spread.  
  
"That Nabiki Tendo" he said to himself. She knew what was going on all the time! 'Just wait until I get my hands on her. I'll...'  
  
'No damn it!' He couldn't do anything to harm Akane's sister. If he harmed any one of the Tendos, his Goddess would definitely stop loving him!  
  
"ARRRGGG!" he shouted, swinging his bokken about once again, smashing everything around him. What else could he do? His beloved Akane was taken from him.  
  
He looked back down at the picture, examining the look of ultimate bliss in her eyes. She had no worries or care for her surroundings. He blinked. In every one of the latest photos, she had that far away dreamy look in her eyes. She was being controlled, her mind ensnared by that retched Saotome!  
  
"That's it! I have you now!"  
  
"All I have to do is destroy that vile sorcerer! Then when you are free of his magic, you will be mine! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! Errk!"  
  
His laughter was cut off by the policemen who charged and apprehended him. "GET YOUR FILTHY COMMONER HANDS OFF ME!" he was shouting as he was led back to an awaiting police van. The remains of shops with smashed in windows, public benches split in half, and the rubble that used to be several parked cars, scattered over the pavement and road were left behind them.  
  
"Ahh! Welcome back Mr Kuno. Did you miss us already?" the constable he met earlier asked him.  
  
Kuno just grumbled in reply about noble men being man-handled by the lower peasants.  
  
"Just can't get enough of that community service can you?" He looked over the list of damages sustained during his latest tantrum. "Well, well, well. Looks like you have been busy. Repetitive offences, huh? This is going to extend your community service time to eighteen months."  
  
Kuno growled, and struggled in his restraints.  
  
"On top of that," he continued, "You will have to pay for all of the damages you caused." The cop sneered at the youth, "Daddy's not going to be too happy is he?"  
  
Kuno continued to curse under his breath.  
  
"Oh, and just to be careful, you can spend the night in the 'tank' until you cool down. We don't want you to get in any more trouble now do we?"  
  
"How could you Nabiki? You know that I've been having trouble with the boys at school, AND AFTER ALL THIS TIME, YOU HAVE BEEN ENCOURAGING THEM?!!"  
  
"Whoa! Cool down Akane," Ranma tried soothing her, while holding her tight.  
  
She nodded, and after taking a few deep breaths, continued on. "Do you have any idea of what it is like to have hundreds of boys attacking you, thinking that if they win that they can do whatever they like with you?"  
  
"I wouldn't call it that," Nabiki replied. "It wouldn't go that far..."  
  
Akane ignored her comment. "This is how people become victims of rape or murder. Did you ever think of that?"  
  
Nabiki blanched.  
  
"Hmm, I didn't think so. After all you may be right; it probably isn't like that... yet. So far I have been able to defend myself. But sooner or later it will get out of control and then where would I be? Look what happened today. Several people got severely hurt due to an out of control maniac addicted to your offerings. OFFERINGS WHICH EXPLOITED YOUR OWN SISTER!" she screamed while trying to get at Nabiki with her fists, but was held back in Ranma's strong embrace.  
  
"Shh Akane. You don't need to hit her. You could just take some photos of her in the bathroom, or while changing, to distribute among the boys so then she would know how it feels."  
  
Nabiki panicked! 'What could she do against that?' her mind reeled, but it soon found a bit of relief.  
  
"No. that's just as bad as what she has been doing. Besides," Akane warned her husband, "I don't want you trying to see my sister naked!"  
  
Ranma just gave her a cheesy grin.  
  
"But she will pay us every single yen she received while taking advantage of me!" her eyes boring into Nabiki's. "And don't try going cheap on me! I can, and will find out how much you dished the memories of one of my happier days out for."  
  
Nabiki could only nod in assent.  
  
"Come on Ranma, let's go."  
  
They were walking down the road on the way back home. Akane had her arms around Ranma and was leaning her head on his shoulder, while Ranma was tracing one of his hands through her hair. Neither was speaking since leaving the school grounds. Akane's mood was starting to get a bit sullen so Ranma tried to start up a bit of a conversation to lighten up her spirits.  
  
"Well, that was a bit unexpected, wasn't it?"  
  
"I can't believe she would do such a thing to me! I knew she went a bit far sometimes with her dealings at school, but this..." she shook her head. "I just hope there won't be too much trouble for us when we go back on Monday."  
  
"Speaking of Monday," Ranma started. "That's four days away. What could we do with our time until then?"  
  
"Well, we could go for a walk through the park," she suggested.  
  
"Hmm," Ranma said. He looked up at the sky, "There's a bit too mmmuch moi-moisture in the air for my llliking at the moment. Maybe if it clears up tomorrow..."  
  
"Or we could go and visit your parents."  
  
"Yeah. I wonder how Pops is dealing with being caged up with a cranky demanding female panda. It would be fun to get a few photos while he's in there..."  
  
"Or perhaps your mother..."  
  
"Oh y-yeah, you're right. I should be spending more time with her now that I know where she is. We could go and visit her today."  
  
"That would be great." Akane smiled.  
  
At the Saotome residence  
  
Ranma walked hand in hand with Akane down the front path to the front door.  
  
Knock Knock  
  
A soft "Coming" could be heard from within the house. A few soft foot steps and a soft click, the door opened. Their eyes met for a short moment and then, "Ranma!" Two strong arms reached out and ensnared Ranma in a vice like grip, and then he was dragged inside. Akane giggled at the sight of her husband struggling to break out from his bonds.  
  
Ranma gave her the look that said 'Don't laugh, you're next!' just before Nodoka released her son then caught Akane in a bone crushing hug.  
  
"I'm so glad you came," she said. "I didn't know when you were getting back."  
  
Only Ranma could answer, Akane was still in the strong embrace. "We just managed to get back last night. It was quite a tr-trip back in all the rain."  
  
"I'm sure it was. How did you manage?" she said while releasing Akane.  
  
"B-barely! But I got a bit of practise in my c-cursed form for the last few days in the drizzle. And Akane here did a great job helping Me." he said while softly holding onto her while she got her breath back.  
  
"Oh my, where are my manners? Please come in." Nodoka stepped to the side of her doorway and ushered them to the table. "I'll get us some tea, and then you can tell me all about it."  
  
So they settled themselves down while Nodoka prepared the tea.  
  
"How has the past week been for the two newlyweds?" she called from the kitchen.  
  
"Pretty good. Ranma had me training most of the time, helping me gain back my potential. Then after that we would soak in the hot springs."  
  
"That does sound good," she said as she brought the tea out and poured everyone a cup. "But I'm sure that wasn't all you got up to. I mean you did say that you were stuck in the cave for a few days before you returned, and you must have done other things when you weren't training. Tell me, when will you be giving me grandchildren?"  
  
Ranma and Akane choked on their tea. "P-pardon?" Ranma couldn't believe his mother could be so forward.  
  
"You know what I mean. I don't believe that all you did up there was train, especially on your wedding night. So as I said, when will I be getting grandchildren?"  
  
Ranma meet Akane's eyes. His asked 'should we tell her?', while hers were saying 'I don't see how we could get out of it'. Ranma cleared his throat, "Umm, we have talked about it, and we both want to raise a family at some point. After the way we were both raised with nobody, we thought that now that we have each other, we could definitely share our love with some more."  
  
Nodoka looked as though Christmas had come early. "Since we are still at school, I told Akane that I can help her out with her work when she needs the time off. The only thing we can think of that is holding us back is the lack of resources. I'm sure that raising children is no easy matter."  
  
"There's the dojo..." Nodoka suggested.  
  
"Yeah, but I've been the only student to train there in a long time," said Akane.  
  
"Well, reopen it," Nodoka said it as though it was the most obvious thing to do. "That is what it was meant for. I'm sure that Soun will be glad to help out whenever he can. And don't forget that I'm here too. I'll help you in any way that I can to make sure you are both happy."  
  
"Thanks Mum. It really means a lot."  
  
"That's what I'm here for." She gathered them both in a soft hug.  
  
They both left Nodoka's house with more things on their mind. 'Children', they both agreed that they want to have them, but were they ready? And then when to start?  
  
In the end they agreed to wait for a while before they go any further. As for starting the dojo up again, now's a good a time as any.  
  
"Pops!" Akane called when they got back home.  
  
"Ah there you are. I missed you two this morning."  
  
"There was a disturbance at the school earlier on, so we went to check it out."  
  
"Oh my!" Kasumi exclaimed. "I hope no one got hurt."  
  
"Well yeah, some people did..."  
  
"Is Nabiki okay?" Soun asked quickly, jumping to his feet.  
  
"She's fine. But you may want to have a talk to her about her activities. She's the one that started the mess in the first place."  
  
"What do you mean?" Soun asked.  
  
"She was selling copies of our wedding day photos for the highest bid, to the boys at school."  
  
"That's nice that people want to share your wedding happiness," Kasumi said.  
  
"Umm, I don't think that was the case. I believe Nabiki made sure that no one could figure out what was going on. The trouble started when the price got too high for Kuno, and he attacked everyone."  
  
"Oh My," Kasumi exclaimed again.  
  
"Kuno, isn't that a rich noble family?"  
  
"Oh yes, he is a pompous and arrogant ass! He is always talking down to everyone, and for the past year he has been trying to get me to date with him."  
  
"Well, he is definitely overstepping his ground," Soun remarked.  
  
"Yeah, but never mind that. We can talk about it later when Nabiki comes home. What we wanted to talk to you about is reopening the dojo."  
  
Soun was silent at those words.  
  
"We are going to need an income to start a new family," Ranma added, but immediately covered his mouth before he blurted out any more.  
  
"Ranma!" Akane chided him.  
  
"F-family?!" Soun stumbled. "Oh happy day!" he celebrated while swinging Akane around.  
  
Every revolution of Soun, Ranma saw the evil eye Akane was giving him. "Sorry," he squeeked.  
  
"Pops, put me down!"  
  
"Oh I'm just so happy for you!" he cheered.  
  
"Nothing has happened yet. We were just planning on starting one in the near future. It wouldn't hurt to have a steady income beforehand."  
  
Soun came back down from his euphoria. "Yes, I'm sorry for going overboard there. That is a good idea to start up the dojo again."  
  
"But we will need a lot of help from you to do it. We have no real idea of how to run the classes, or manage the finances. The way Ranma has been training me is effective, but not ideal to be taught inside with large classes."  
  
"No, you're right. I have been slack with keeping the dojo running. I'm sorry for giving it to you in such a state. But before you go too far into the class structure itself, you have to decide on how you want to teach new students. You could go for the standard method of teaching our moves like other places do, but that goes back to where our style got its techniques from; other dojos. But if you want to teach the main principle behind the 'Anything Goes' style, you may have to find an alternative method."  
  
"How?" Akane and Ranma chorused.  
  
"I don't know. I couldn't figure that one out either."  
  
The young couple face faulted.  
  
"You have to remember that when Genma and I were learning, our master had us doing the most despicable things to feed his perversions. He was an excellent teacher, but he took the name of the school through the mud. The principle was to use the best of the best styles in a way to get what was needed done. Our master had us stealing and going on, ahem 'panty raids'..."  
  
His words stunned his audience. Akane and Ranma's eyes opened as wide as dished, while Kasumi exclaimed with another 'Oh My!'  
  
"I am not proud of it, but the master's antics put us in situations where we had to do anything we possibly could to get out scot free. Most of the time we were caught and had to take the blame, but it got us to think of ways to deal with the utmost dire situations. Which in the end, was the master's undoing."  
  
"Oh man!" Ranma voiced. "I guess that's why Pops tried teaching me those exotic styles. Extreme though they may be, they could be highly effective."  
  
"I believe so. The best thing you could do that I could think of is to start with the basics. Teach them the foundations of 'Anything goes', and from there select a few who show promise to learn the more advanced techniques and methodology."  
  
Ranma nodded. "I agree. I don't think I could take an entire dojo full of students through the same training methods that I am used to. So I guess its back to teaching like standard dojos. Perhaps with a few demonstrations to the public of how far the style could take them may get some attention. What do you think Akane?"  
  
"It might work. Just remember that you are still teaching me, so I may not be of much help," she said, sounding a bit downcast.  
  
"Cheer up. You are already up in the advanced class area. You definitely know enough to teach the basic classes."  
  
"Gee, thanks for the compliment," she said sarcastically.  
  
"You know what I mean. You can be very impressive to people who don't know much martial arts. But Soun, how good are you? I still haven't seen you in action so I'm not sure on how to judge your skill."  
  
"Me?! I haven't practiced in a long time. I would probably be quite rusty in that department."  
  
"Well now's a good time to brush up on your skills. It would be good to have as many practitioners of the art at any display we may put up. Ha, it wouldn't hurt to have a fighting panda there either. We could give the zoo a call, and see if they wouldn't mind us setting up for a display there."  
  
"A... fighting... p-panda! Bwhahahaha!" Akane broke out in laughter.  
  
"Yeah. If people see that an animal could learn our style, anyone can. It would put that pudding of a pop to good use anyway."  
  
"A family trip to the zoo!" Kasumi said. "That sounds like a great idea!"  
  
"I'll give them a buzz now, while Soun can warm up for our sparring session in the dojo."  
  
"A Spar?"  
  
"Sure. We'll need all our practitioners up to scratch for the day. Besides, I'm quite interested in how good you really are. And it would do you good to get you out of your hole you settled yourself in over the years."  
  
Nabiki's day had been a whirlwind. The day starting off nice and strong, just to backfire with Kuno's actions. And to top it off, Akane found out about her dealings with the boys at school and demanded Nabiki to pay her all of the profits. She had lost the profits from the photos, but upon finding how Kuno finished the day, she made a killing in selling the info to everyone. Even the staff were craving the juice about the fool.  
  
Upon arriving home, she called out in greeting, but found nobody inside. While looking around for them, she heard the sound of fighting in the dojo, so she walked on over to see what was going on. Upon entering she found Akane and Kasumi sitting at the side, watching the action on the dojo floor. But the sight that beheld her made her jaw drop: her father going head to head with Ranma in an extremely difficult and artful sparring match.  
  
There were midair punches and kicks, while performing extremely fast dodges. They were rebounding off the walls and ceiling for faster and more powerful approaches of tagging their opponent. The changing of their attack pattern in midair was a bit disconcerting to one's view of the laws of physics, but that wasn't the main source of Nabiki's surprise. No, it was the fact that her father was capable of doing such things. He hadn't shown a bit of such training for such a long time that the girls couldn't remember any of it.  
  
The match came to a finish when Soun's trajectory was redirected by Ranma, which left him to crash onto the floor with a solid 'thwack'.  
  
"Daddy!" Kasumi ran forward. Soun was slowly getting up when she reached him to see how he was.  
  
"I'm okay, don't worry." Once he was back on his feet, he looked over the martial arts prodigy that was his son-in-law. Holding his shaking hand out, he said "Good match."  
  
Ranma shook hands with Soun, and replied "Yeah, you weren't bad yourself. For being rusty though, you did pretty well."  
  
"What's going on?" Nabiki asked.  
  
"We're reopening the dojo, and I wanted to see how good your old man was," Ranma answered. "We've got a lot of work ahead of us. We need to hand out some flyers so people know about it, and we're going to do some public demonstrations."  
  
"Yeah, next weekend Ranma organised a demonstration at the zoo," Akane sniggered. "It's going to include a fighting panda!" She fell over again in tears of laughter.  
  
"A fighting panda hey," Nabiki mused. "That would get a lot of attention."  
  
"That's the whole point. The zookeeper was climbing up the walls with glee when I asked him about it. It will get him a large mass of people there too. I originally sent Pops there for punishment and to get him out of the way, but it seems to have become even more beneficial to both our and the zoo's purposes."  
  
"Beneficial indeed! Do you know how much money we can make out of this?"  
  
"We sure do, but that's your department. Since you've already accumulated us a large amount of money this morning for the dojo, if you want, you can be in charge of the finances for a percentage."  
  
"I can do that. When do we begin?"  
  
"Two week from now. Hopefully our demonstration will gain enough attention for a whole class."  
  
Akane wrapped her arms around her husband. "It shouldn't be a problem. You will definitely bring them in," she said before kissing him.  
  
"Ahem," Nabiki cleared her throat. "Before you two get lost in each other, I have some more news about what happened today."  
  
"Speaking of which, Nabiki I am ashamed of you. Lots of people got hurt because of what you did."  
  
"I didn't hurt those people! Kuno did..."  
  
"You drove him to act like that. It was your fault," Kasumi admonished.  
  
Nabiki brushed her words away. "But wait till you hear what else he did. He was arrested for making a menace of himself in the streets in a similar way to that he did at school. When the incidence at school was added to the list, he was given six months community service."  
  
"Bwhahahaha!" Akane started laughing again. "Kuno doing Community service! I've got to see that!"  
  
"But wait, there's more," Nabiki smirked. "When he got out, he finally got around to seeing what the last photo was of."  
  
"What was it of?" Akane growled.  
  
"Your first post-marital kiss. When he saw it he had another tantrum, smashed up quite a bit of public property, and got taken back to the police station. There, his community service was extended to two years, and he would have to get a job to pay for the damages since his father had cut him off from the family funds for spending too much on your photos."  
  
She didn't get the reaction that she was expecting. Kasumi felt sorry for the 'poor boy' for being cut off, Soun was upset due to the so-called noble destroying the public, and Akane was angry again for the selling off of her wedding photos. "Just how much did you make from selling out your sister's wedding huh?"  
  
"One million, eight hundred and forty thousand yen."  
  
"WHAT!" everyone shouted.  
  
"Yeah I know. You're quite popular sis."  
  
Akane was quiet for a moment, and then said "You sold my photos to Kuno for almost two million!"  
  
"Yeah," Nabiki cheerfully said.  
  
"And he was cut form the family."  
  
She nodded.  
  
"And on top of that, he has community services and has to go to work to pay the damages off..."  
  
"Yes to all. Oh yeah, and on top of that he spent the night in a cell to cool off."  
  
"Thank you very much Nabs! Do you know that he will now be coming after me with greater determination?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"He had a big enough infatuation with me before. Now he will be completely obsessed. To top that off, he is also violent to everyone, and in trouble with the police."  
  
Nabiki was taken aback.  
  
"He has lost everything while chasing after me, and received nothing in return." She paused for Nabiki to take it in.  
  
"You should now be shouting, 'IT'S ALIVE, ALIVE!' like Victor Frankenstein, because you've created a monster that is a complete sore loser, and will now be worse than ever before!"  
  
After telling her sister off, Akane felt emotionally drained. "Come on Ranma. Lets go and have our bath!" and she dragged him out of the dojo.  
  
Nabiki blinked. "I didn't think that she would react so badly."  
  
"But she was right Nabiki. You should think of how your actions will affect everyone involved." While Kasumi's words were softly spoken, her scolding made Nabiki feel like a small child again.  
  
They were both sitting in the furo, Ranma's arms holding onto Akane reassuringly.  
  
"How could she do that?"  
  
"Don't worry about it."  
  
"But what if something bad happens to us because of him?"  
  
"Nothing will happen. We were both brought up to be strong and be able to look out for ourselves. Our style of martial arts was founded for that purpose. We will get through this, alright."  
  
Akane nodded and sunk her face into his shoulder. Ranma kissed her forehead. "Come on, let's get out of here and have an early night."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"And maybe we could go for that walk in the park tomorrow."  
  
"Mmm," Akane smiled.  
  
The week ended relatively quietly. The confrontations with Kuno that Akane was worried about never went to pass. On top of that, the weather began to clear up, so overall, Akane and Ranma had a carefree few days off before they had to face the horror of returning to school.  
  
"Wake up. Come on, wake up."  
  
"Nnnnn," Akane moaned.  
  
"Hey, I dislike school even more than you do. Yet here I am trying to get you set an example..."  
  
"Fine, fine. Just don't get too carried away while lecturing me. That's one of the things I hate about school; the teacher thinking they know what's best for me."  
  
"Damn! I was going to say that getting a good workout beforehand will help get your mind running."  
  
"That's just typical of you. Trying to find more reasons to get up at absurd hours of the morning, and to exhaust myself out before the day begins. Mmnnn..." Ranma cut her off with a morning kiss.  
  
"You can't be a master of 'Anything Goes' with that philosophy. Come on and get up. We still have to make a martial artist of you yet."  
  
"Hey!" Ranma jumped away from Akane's swing. "Get back here!"  
  
"Nnnnrr!," he poked his tongue out at her. "You've gotta catch me first!" he then bolted out of the room.  
  
Hot on his heels, Akane chased Ranma through the house, and out to the dojo, where she had to grind her feet into the floor to stop herself from barrelling into him. Ranma had come to a dead stop and turned himself around in his usual 'non' stance, ready for their early morning spar.  
  
"Good for you to make it down here. I was going to go for a jog first, but seeing that you didn't bother putting your clothes on, I decided to wait."  
  
She looked down at herself, noticed that she had run through the house, and through the backyard in only her panties. "Eek!" she shrieked, and then dashed to the changing room for her spare gi. The sound of Ranma's laughter echoing behind her, "That wasn't funny! What if somebody saw me?"  
  
"I did. I thought you looked rather good."  
  
"Besides you, you idiot!"  
  
"Well if you got up without complaining, you would have gotten dressed first. I thought that you would have gotten used to getting up early by now. A bit flat on the learning curve there. Oh well, I guess I can't have everything," he spoke in a mocking tone.  
  
"Learning curve?! I'll get you for that!" and so while complaining about the early rise, she managed to get in one of her best workouts without realising.  
  
That is until it was time to get ready for school. "Come on Akane! You need a bath, you stink!"  
  
"Nnnnn," she moaned. "If I could only lift my arm, I'd clobber you for saying that."  
  
Ranma raised his arms in exasperation. "What did I ever do to deserve such a lazy wife?" he said, still mocking. "I can't take you anywhere smelling like that. 'Sigh'. I guess I'll have to do all the work!" he tucked her under one arm and marched her up to the bathroom.  
  
To further her embarrassment, she received a few sideways looks of amusement from the rest of her family who were beginning to rise.  
  
A thorough scrub and a few splashes later, they were back at the table for breakfast.  
  
"Gee Akane, still so perky in the morning?" Nabiki asked.  
  
Akane could only flop her head over enough to be able to scowl back at her.  
  
"She right 'Kane. I mean look at this," he lifted one of her arms, then let it fall limply back to its resting point. He looked back towards Nabiki, "How ever did you manage to get her ready before I came?"  
  
Akane growled a bit more at their mocking scrutiny but stopped at her sister's response. "No, we usually had to stay clear of her fiery morning attitude. I guess all the after hour activities you two get up to..." she left it hanging.  
  
"I hope you've cleared up all the trouble at school you caused. I don't think that Akane is up to handling all the trouble so soon after our wedding. Then again, she can't even handle standing up by herself at the moment."  
  
"It must have been good," Nabiki said in an erotic tone.  
  
"I could handle it if only my baka husband here would finish off with my chi treatment."  
  
"Aww. But I'm having so much fun." he said while nuzzling into her neck. "Just think, I could carry you into school, slung over my shoulder like I had just come home from my hunt."  
  
"DON'T YOU DARE JOKE ABOUT THAT! I'm worried enough about Kuno's antics already without you setting them a bad example."  
  
"No, you're right. I'm sorry. Here," and he worked his magic over her body, replenishing her chi flows with a fresh surge of energy. "That should just about do it."  
  
"About time too," Akane said, working the stiffness out of her arms.  
  
"Quit your complaining. As soon as you finish your breakfast, the sooner we can deal with the problems at school."  
  
The scene at the front gates of the school looked promising. Apparently the hentai squad had not received the news of Akane's return, and Kuno was occupied with his newly found obligations.  
  
"Looks good so far."  
  
"Yeah, it does. So what window was it? Oh yeah, that one on the end. Come on." He grabbed Akane under the arms, and then leapt three floors up to their classroom window. To say their fellow students already in the room were surprised would be an understatement! But Ranma, not really caring what they thought, just walked across the room to place Akane and himself into their seats.  
  
Soon the teacher arrived and the class was smothered in the thick fog of boredom. Only Ranma was strong enough to counter the rolling waves, and annoyingly correct the teachers.  
  
To the relief of all, the lunch bell sounded. Ranma and Akane made their way down to the cafeteria, and that's where all the fun began!  
  
"Oh my god!"  
  
"Would you look at that."  
  
"Hey, there's a new person serving the food?"  
  
"Who is that?"  
  
"I don't know, but he looks familiar."  
  
"Hey, what? I don't believe it! No it couldn't be..."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Tatewakai Kuno!"  
  
"No Way!"  
  
The room erupted into laughter. The so called noble warrior, dressed in an apron, serving students at the buffet. Such a plummet in social standing it was, you had to feel sorry for him. But then again he had this coming to him.  
  
Kuno just growled at the people mocking him. The area surrounding him tended to darken a bit and made everyone skirt around him to avoid his selection of food. 'They think they are just too good for me! But I will show them...'  
  
At that moment, Akane walked in the room. Kuno's heart soared, and the reason for his existence was made clear. Akane, the one who had captured his heart! But for so long what he thought was her being too overwhelmed by his might to return his love, turned out to be controlled through black magic by that sorcerer Saotome!  
  
'And there he is,' Kuno mused. 'Enriching himself at the cost of my dear Akane's innocence! Deeds of such evil should soon be stopped, and her divine grace protected from his influence!'  
  
Kuno watched on in loathing at Ranma's presence, his ire boiling over when he saw the fiend contaminating her purity with his demon lips! "NO WAY! I WILL NOT ALLOW IT! THERE IS NO WAY THAT I SHALL LET YOU HOLD AKANE BOUND TO YOUR EVIL WAYS!" he shouted as he vaulted over the counter.  
  
"There have been no problems for us so far. Quit worrying yourself. Nothing bad will happen," Ranma reassured her.  
  
"I know I'm just being paranoid, but I have never gone through a single day here without that oaf causing some trouble for me," Akane spoke in a quiet manner.  
  
"There's nothing wrong with being cautious, but you shouldn't let it spoil the day." He cupped her cheek in one hand and kissed her. "We'll be fine!"  
  
But the moment had to be interrupted, so say the laws of nature when someone says that something will be okay. "NO WAY! I WILL NOT ALLOW IT! THERE IS NO WAY THAT I SHALL LET YOU HOLD AKANE BOUND TO YOUR EVIL NEEDS!" echoed over the heads of the students.  
  
"I guess I spoke too soon," Ranma shrugged.  
  
Kuno's apron flapped dangerously on his dart-like approach across the room. Be was brandishing his serving tongs in place of his usual weapon of choice. "I have at thee..." his war cry cut off with a solid punch to the face from Ranma.  
  
Kuno Senior found himself called down to his son's school due to a small 'situation' concerning his son. 'He better not have made a fool of our family again!' he thought as he stormed his way to the principal's office.  
  
Inside he found Tatewakai with an ice-pack on his head, and a couple of other students cuddling together. "What happened now?" he demanded, tired of his son's behaviour lately.  
  
Ranma looked him square in the eye, clearly not intimidated by his presence. "Your son has been hounding Akane for the past year, and recently has been attacking everyone since he found out about our wedding. Just at lunch he decided to have another 'episode' and tried to get at me."  
  
"You two are married?" he asked, not really concerned about it. But the dishonour of approaching a married woman! He was about to reprimand his son about it, but the glint of light from the couple's wedding bands caught his eye. Taking a closer look, his face turned white when he recognised what they represented.  
  
"My sincere apologies!" he bowed his head. Tatewakai was astounded at his father's courtesy toward Saotome. "I am sure my son had no idea about the consequences of his actions. He has been running wild for too long and has been disgracing our family name all too often." Speaking directly to Tatewakai, he said "I have warned you previously that any further misconduct will not be tolerated. You have just been chasing a married woman, and have just assaulted a member of a family which is highly revered by the noble houses!  
  
"You have brought far too much shame to the Kuno family. I cast you out Tatewakai! You are no longer my son!" A few gasps were heard at the announcement. "I give you until the end of the week to pack your belongings, and to leave my house!" After he had finished his proclamation, he stormed out of the room.  
  
The room was still, it had an ominous feel to it. "I think we should go back to class now," Akane whispered. Ranma nodded, and they made their way out of the room.  
  
The word of the late Kuno's demise reached all corners of the school at a record breaking speed. No one dared to say a word in fear that Tatewakai may take offence and have another episode at their expense.  
  
At the end of the day, the students progressed out of the gates of Furinkin High with a solemn 'funeral' march. Only after they were more than a block away from the place where the dishonour of a powerful family took place, did people start to talk.  
  
"Well that was certainly an interesting day!" Ranma exclaimed. "I wonder what else could possibly happen..."  
  
"RANMA! PREPARE TO DIE!"  
  
"Damn, spoke too soon," he said as chunks of smashed concrete flew everywhere.  
  
Author's notes  
  
Took a while for this to get out. I'm not a great fan of Nabiki, so I had trouble devising her part in this chapter.  
  
Gave Kuno one though. He pissed me off in the comic, so I got him back. I decided to change the idea of principal Kuno, as thought it was just too silly, and to make excuses for more episodes. So, in my world the Kuno family are not absolute lunatics, just spoiled brats that need taking down a few pegs!  
  
Ryoga is up next. I am planning on introducing the main characters in a similar order as the manga. But no, don't run away yet... I promise this is going somewhere different! 


End file.
